I Can't Feel Nothing At All
by Sailor Onyx Pluto
Summary: Set 2 years after REPO! with some flashbacks to before the opera. Graverobber has a partner-in-crime, Shilo seems to be a ghost, a new top Repo Man is making a name for himself, and of course, the Largos are up to no good. Sex, blood, scalpels, and naturally, Zydrate! AU and OOC elements.
1. In the Rain

**Well, I've finally gotten the revising in motion, which means that chapter twenty is finished! Thank you all who have been reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, and just about everything else. It really boosts my confidence and gives me the urge to write. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who have been waiting so long for me to update. I know it took me a while, but I didn't want to disappoint either. Like the saying goes, "You're your own worst critic." I will try to keep the revision updates regular, but I make no promises. I hope all you loyal readers love my newest installment, and for all the newbies, enjoy and as always, please R&R!  
><strong>

**I Can't Feel Nothing At All…**

**By Sailor Onyx Pluto**

**Chapter One – In the Rain**

The rain pelted my long black-and-red dreadlocks as I stood motionless against the alley's brick wall next to a dumpster. The shadows were doing well in camouflaging me despite my mostly pale skin and somewhat skimpy clothes, but nowhere near as skimpy as most of the scalpel sluts that were roaming around down here. It almost made me want to spit in disgust, but I didn't want to give away my hiding place just yet; not before _He_ showed up, not that anyone would notice me anyway. I always had a real penchant for blending in when I wanted to. The addicts were filing out of their usual Zydrate Support Network meetinghouse and were now milling around, waiting for their fix of the night so that they could go pass out somewhere or stumble off to get whatever surgery they had planned for the evening. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being hooked on that shit and was almost surprised that I wasn't, considering the fact that I was a peddler of the blue stuff myself, but I was nowhere near _His_ caliber. The rain started to fall harder, soaking my hair and bouncing off my black vinyl platform boots as I watched the addicts and scalpels suddenly start swooning and moaning like dogs in heat that couldn't get fucked.

_He was here!_

He was the ultimate dealer in black market Zydrate and everybody knew who he was, yet no one knew his real name. He was the one called Graverobber, and it wasn't just because he looked the part; he sure as shit was it, through and through. It was almost revolting the way they fawned and worshiped him like he was a god: a god that took their money and from the females, their sex as payment more often than not. I had seen these transactions before (not to mention did some myself) and it was like doing business, be it sex or cash. He had no real emotion for any of these bitches that I could read and I was pretty damn sharp when it came to reading people, although he had been in the game a few years longer than I had. He was more than likely slightly better at concealing his real feelings than I was because all you could see in his dark eyes was the pleasure of doing what needed to be done. I kept watch on him for the next few hours until all the druggies had gotten their shots and was surprised when I didn't see his "best" customer, Miss Amber Sweet make her appearance, although I suppose she didn't really need to get her fix from him anymore. When all of his clients either were passed out or clomping away to go do whatever it was they did, I was contemplating leaving when, without even turning around, he addressed me by name, so to speak,

"Long time, no see, Bones," There was no sense in staying where I was since he had addressed me by my street name, and that was all anybody knew me by. I slowly pushed myself out of the shadows and watched in silence as he turned around with that ever-present black-lipped smirk on his white face. If his eyes lit up at the sight of my garb, it was only for a split second or I imagined it. I was just glad that all the junkies were gone for the night or currently passed out on the gritty ground, so in terms of conscious bodies, it was just Graverobber and me. He tucked his zydrate gun into the holster on his thigh without taking his eyes off me and I stared back at him with my burning green eyes. "I figured you'd gotten outta the game since I hadn't seen you for a few days, but I wouldn't be that lucky now, would I?" I rolled my eyes at his smart-ass remark, looked him in his blue orbs and responded,

"Well, I was considering it, but then you'd be the only one making the big bucks and I just couldn't let you handle that all by yourself since you'd have to work overtime and then some just to keep up with the clientele that I've got." I paused to adjust the belt that was holding up my leather miniskirt and pushed my soaking wet dreads out of my face. "Of course, the results of you working overtime might just be beneficial to me since you'd probably have a heart attack, old man." That remark managed to wipe that smirk off his face momentarily while he seemed to be contemplating killing me but that would've been stupid on his part and he knew it. Unlike most of the other dealers on this nearly-worthless scrap of land who would just as quickly leave someone to save themselves, I was the only one who saved his ass whenever he was cornered by the GENcops and he sure as hell knew he wouldn't last a week without me. Okay, so maybe he could, but I knew he still enjoyed having me around.

"Whatever, Bones," He shrugged; an unusual gesture from him since he was such a cocky son of a bitch when he wanted to be, which was almost all the time. "Although, _you_ couldn't keep up with everyone either, and since I'm the only one you seem to trust to _assist _you, I guess you'll just have to stay in the game and keep me around." I watched as his eyes openly roamed my figure. "Besides, it'd be quite a disappointment not to see you in those cute little outfits of yours."

"Yeah, seeing as how you get your rocks off to just the thought of me," I snapped with a subtle flirty undertone then added a real knife twister, "I didn't see Amber tonight, but she probably doesn't need _anything_ from you anymore." I made sure that my comment included a hint that meant more than the glow when it came to the CEO of GeneCo because I knew how she always paid for her hits, and the smallest hint of a grin came to my face as Graves appeared to be seething now at my pushing his buttons, but I knew he could push mine just as maliciously.

"No, Amber doesn't come around much anymore, if ever, but I'm surprised that you're still in business seeing as how you keep _servicing_ Luigi and Pavi every time they make an appearance. Must be a privilege to screw both brothers and not end up in the graveyard. I guess you're tougher than everyone gives you credit for, Bonesy." I glared at him as he made a joke out of my constant encounters with the infamous Largo brothers, none of which were pleasant, along with my much-hated nickname he'd given me about six years ago when we'd ran into each other in the same graveyard. I kept the menace in my eyes only and greatly resisted the urge to slap him like I wanted to. I was brought out of my train of thought when one of the junkies on the ground near my foot twitched and made a strange sound and then tried to open their eyes. I groaned in frustration, unholstered my own Zydrate gun, loaded it, and shot the guy up before Graves could make a move to do so. I saw a smile spread over the guy's face as his eyes closed fully and I ran his pockets to find a bundle of credits that I slipped into my stitched-pieced together messenger bag.

As soon as I stood up and holstered my gun, the rain was starting to slow to a mist and I shivered involuntarily from the sudden sharp wind that blew through the alley. Graverobber then threw his stitched trench coat over my shoulders and pulled my dreads out from under it. My inky blue painted lips slid into a smile, showing my perfectly white teeth as I looked up at him to see his black lips curled into a wide smile; nowhere near resembling the smirk he always wore. It was then I noticed that his hands were on my shoulders and began rubbing my arms to keep me warm.

"I thought you never showed your multifaceted personality in public. Thought it was bad for your tough guy image," I said jokingly. He chuckled in his baritone voice.

"It is bad for my image, but no one's around except you and me, so who really gives a damn?"

"I sure as hell don't, but you know I have to keep up my reputation as well. Don't want people thinking I've gone soft all of a sudden." His grin got mischievous at that moment and his oh-so-hot blue eyes glinted.

"I'll show you who's soft," and he backed me into a dark corner where anyone who happened to walk by wouldn't see us unless they were actually looking, and took possession of my lips with his own in a kiss that felt like my own personal high. Our tongues began to battle for dominance as he slid his hand slowly up on my black fishnet thigh-highs onto my bare thigh, causing me to moan into his mouth. The moan quickly turned into a heated gasp as he went under my skirt and grinned knowingly, breaking the kiss. "Hmm… feels like velvet. I'd have to say, red?" I turned a sinister smile back at him.

"You could always guess what I'm wearing, but if you really wanna find out, let's get out of the rain first."

"Aye to that, my dear," Slipping through the various streets and avoiding the patrolling cops all the while had become second nature for both of us as we made it back to our out-of-the-way, seemingly abandoned house that could only be accessed from the back door. Don't want anyone to think that someone's actually living there. The rain had picked back up again, this time in a torrential downpour that left us both utterly soaked to the bone by the time we'd gotten to the carefully hidden back door of our place and gone inside. Shedding his trench coat, I hung it on the makeshift coat rack by the small kitchen and slipped my boots off while he did the same. He took this moment to really take in my choice of clothing for the evening. "I must say that you sure know how to pass yourself off as a scalpel slut, even though you've never had surgery in your life. I still have yet to figure out how you grave rob in those get-ups." He threw his own boots next to the back door and they landed on top of mine.

"Satisfy me tonight and I just might tell you that little secret," I teased as I bolted to the one bedroom that we shared despite the fact that it was pitch black in the house.

"Challenge accepted," and he was right behind me in a flash, practically pushing me into the bedroom and throwing me onto the bed, which was one hell of a turn-on. I landed on my back with him on top of me and claiming my lips again with the same intense kiss as in the alley. Not wanting to hold back our feelings like we had to do in public, we unbuckled each other's belts then threw my leather miniskirt and his leather pants into a heap on the floor. His long-sleeve gray shirt and my long-sleeve black fishnet shirt soon followed, leaving him in his white boxers and socks and me in my black stockings and red undergarments. "I knew it; red all the way." He grinned while observing my bra and panties.

"Why don't you stop staring and just take them off me already, or do I have to do it for you?" I loved provoking him into stripping me nude and he always took the bait, but never complained. I think it turned him on even more. In turn, I pulled his boxers off with my teeth, all the while stroking his length until he achieved a full erection.

"Ohhhhh, I love it when you do that, baby," he half-moaned as he moved his skilled hand to my already-wet core and began stroking me lightly.

"Ahh, you always did know how to turn a girl on, honey," I said through the sigh of ecstasy that escaped my lips. He leaned in closer and kissed me again.

"You're the only woman I ever want to turn on like this. Everyone else is just business." I could see the seriousness in his face despite the darkness and that was the first time he'd ever said anything like that to me in the four years we'd been together. I knew that the sexual exchanges were just forms of payment for zydrate and that Graverobber didn't give a shit about any of it, but I never realized that I was the only one he truly wanted. Of course, I felt the same way towards him, but never admitted it.

"You're the only man I've ever enjoyed and loved having inside me. Fuck everyone else."

"Well then, I'll take that as an invitation," he pulled a fresh condom out of his pants pocket, slid it on over his erection, and slipped inside my dripping center like the numerous times before, except now it meant more to both of us than it had in the past. We started at a slow rhythm just to enjoy each other for a while then cranked it up to rough sex as he pounded into my sweet spot over and over again until I had an orgasm that caused my whole body to convulse and my back arched sharply. After I slowly came down from my other high, I noticed that he had pulled out just before his orgasm and he shook almost violently above me as he sunk his teeth into my neck until he came back to Earth. I gasped with pleasure as my lover let go of my neck and I could feel the blood running down my skin and dripping onto the sheets.

"I always knew you were a blood drinker," I teased as he licked his dark lips and smiled down at me.

"Your blood tastes almost as good as your other juices, my dear. Nothing can compare to the high that you give me." He kissed me once more with my blood on his lips before rolling over, pulling the condom off, and going into the bathroom that was off the bedroom to throw it out. I heard the water running and knew he was washing his make-up off since he never slept with it on except when needing to take quick refuge in a dumpster. He emerged about a minute later with a towel and used it to wipe up the blood on my neck and on the sheets from earlier.

"I suppose we should get some sleep since we don't have to go out until dusk," I suggested, pointing out the fact that the sun would be up in a few hours.

"Agreed, but before we pass out and since I obviously satisfied you, you gonna tell me how you rob graves in those clothes you willingly strut around in?" he asked. I had to giggle at that since I'd almost forgotten about the challenge I'd given him, thanks to that fabulous orgasm. I moved my fingers to the wound on my neck, dabbed up some of the blood that was still dripping and licked it seductively off my fingers before answering:

"Practice, honey. Just practice." He smirked at my reply. "That and wearing skirts makes it easier to run from the cops and Repo Men faster. You should try it sometime." He snorted loudly and pulled me close to him.

"I would say you can go to Hell before that happens, but we're already there. I'll stick with the pants, thank you." He gave me one more mind reeling kiss then curled up next to me to fall asleep.


	2. CEO and Brothers

**This chapter is now where I want it to be and it reads much better than it did before. If you've already read it in its original writing, feel free to read it again and tell me if you like it better or not. I'm always open to suggestions.  
><strong>

**Chapter Two – CEO and Brothers**

Luigi ducked as the desk lamp flew wildly in his direction and turned into a mangled mess of metal and glass as it hit the wall where his head had just been a second ago. His sister was on one of her trademark tirades again, only this one seemed to be worse than previous tantrums because Amber couldn't find Shilo Wallace, even after two years of looking. The Kid had seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, which was easy to do since she didn't have any parts from GeneCo. While Amber's mood swings got on his nerves to the point of frayed, Luigi still had to listen to them since she was technically the boss.

"I still don't get why it's so critical that you find her. She's been gone this long; why would she show up now?" he asked. His question only caused Amber to glare at him with that murderous look she always got when someone questioned what she was doing, but before she could respond, he continued, "We've got more important things to worry about, like expanding the company beyond what Dad did, so why worry about one kid who doesn't seem to want anything to do with us?"

"She could come and take GeneCo whenever she wants; that's why, damnit!" Amber screamed while throwing an antique clock against the opposite wall. "And she can do it legally too because Daddy wanted her to be his successor instead of any of us. Doesn't that bother you, brother?" Luigi just let out an exasperated sigh and it only seemed to infuriate his younger sister further.

"Yeah, it does bother me that she _could_ come back and toss us out on our behinds at anytime, but on the upside, with Dad's death, _we're_ in charge now. We can do whatever we want as far as surgeries and repossessions go while making ourselves still look like angels sent from God to the public, but you don't seem to care about any of that, you over-obsessive bitch." Amber growled at her sibling, but she knew that he was right, which she absolutely hated when he was right. The eldest Largo always did have some sort of insight when it came to business matters and what the masses wanted of their saviors from the epidemic. However, her obsession with finding Shilo was starting to consume her, almost to the point that she didn't care about the public opinion anymore and that had been crucial to her ever since she had manipulated her way to the top after Rotti died. It was at that moment that Pavi decided to stroll into the office, followed by the new top Repo Man that had quickly climbed the ranks after Nathan Wallace died.

"What the fuck do you want now, Pavi?" Amber snapped at her second older brother, whose vanity for perfection almost rivaled hers at times. The female bodyguards perched behind the CEO cocked their shotguns simultaneously at his entrance, but he barely even noticed their threat. Amber had chosen to keep her late father's female guards around as opposed to her former muscle-brained boy-toy guards. These women just seemed a hell of a lot better at getting the job done, not to mention they had that perfect knack for discretion when called for. Pavi recoiled slightly from his sister's verbal whiplash, bringing the mirror he always carried with him closer to his latest stolen face.

"So sorry to-a interrupt your-a ranting, dear-a sister," he said in his high-pitched voice. "But the-a Repo Man has–a delivered his most-a recent repossession." He gestured to the cloaked figure behind him, who didn't even have the courtesy to remove his head covering in his boss's presence. To add his own personal touch to the uniform, he wore a wide-brimmed hat that was slightly tipped over his blue-white lit eyes. Of course, Amber didn't give a damn one way other how he dressed; she just wanted him to do his job. She waved a hand in a gesture of what appeared to be annoyance and the legal assassin just stepped past Pavi and Luigi without a word and deposited the recently possessed heart and eyes on his boss's desk with an unceremonious thud. The organs were wrapped in hygienic packaging and were completely intact, unlike the poor soul who they were ripped from.

"Thanks. Here's your next job," Amber thrust a new repo order at the man with a look that meant for him to get out. "And next time, take the organs to your own fucking lab, not my fucking office." The slasher-by-trade just gave her the slightest nod, took the clipboard, and disappeared quickly to the elevator. "Now that the official business is taken care of, I still want that little brat found and I don't care if it's dead or alive." The plastic woman started pacing in front of her desk, getting more agitated by the minute, her new hip-length violet-red hair swinging in time with her hips. Her brothers just stood out of her way, unsure of what to do as she paced for a few more minutes then stopped suddenly, a slow evil smile coming to her recently replaced lips.

"What the hell are you so happy about all of a sudden?" Luigi asked. Amber turned a quick glare on him before letting the smile come back.

"I'm so happy, brother, because I know who'll know where little Miss Wallace is hiding, and when I get what I need out of him, I'll dispose of him and then you two can have his bitch that he's been screwing instead of me. Bastard." Luigi looked confused, which was an unusual look for him, but Pavi seemed to catch on right away.

"The-a graverobber, right-a sister? His-a lady has a pretty face." Pavi examined his latest face in his mirror, which already appeared to be peeling at the corners, while Luigi finally seemed to get the picture.

"You mean that Z selling bitch that always gets away from me!" he exclaimed while drawing his newest knife from the sheath he always had on him. Amber smiled even wider as her brothers were now beginning to see her plan. It was a long shot in the dark, but she couldn't think of anyone else who would have that particular knowledge since those two misfits always seemed to find one another, and she'd even get some Z out of the deal. Taking a moment away from examining his newest toy, Luigi looked at his boss/sister and said,

"Thinking of getting a little revenge in more ways than one there, sis?" The CEO smirked, but it didn't last past the next comment.

"I never thought you'd have the brains to think of something so complex." Even Pavi was surprised at the balls his brother so boldly displayed because both of them knew what Amber would do if she was pissed off enough and this seemed to teeter very close to that edge. The glare in her violet eyes could have withered a flower as she stepped right into her sibling's face, which made him step back a pace.

"This is something I'm only going to say once, dear brother, so listen up and you too, Pavi: Despite the fact that dear old Dad never left the company to me, I'M running it now and you two are just so damn lucky that you're my flesh and blood, if those words still mean something these days, which is exactly why I haven't had either of you repoed… yet," she paused to let those words sink in.

"However, if either of you show that level of disrespect towards me again, I'll have you repoed, and your zydrate, along with your organs, harvested. Understand?" They both nodded in submission, which she could tell they absolutely hated doing just by the looks on their faces. She smirked, knowing that she had them where she wanted them and that she wasn't going to let them forget that she was the one in control now. Amber walked away from her brothers to sit behind her desk and propped her red high heels up on its surface.

"Now that we have that little misunderstanding cleared up, I want the Graverobber and his slut found, and when they're found, report it to me. I will deal with him and you two can have her, if there's anything left of her that is." Amber said this whilst examining her freshly manicured nails and her siblings took this as their cue to split to inform their squadron of GENcops of their newest task: Find Graverobber and Bones then bring them to the tower.

As soon as Luigi and Pavi left, Amber dismissed her guards so she could have a moment to herself. When the henchwomen left, she laughed loudly to herself; if this plan didn't produce the desired results, she'd keep looking for Shilo but at the very least she could get her street Z, have her usual fun with the Graverobber and get rid of his bitch at the same time then Pavi could have his new face that he'd been craving and Luigi could have his way with her. In the end, all three kids ended up getting what they wanted.

"Never thought I would have this kind of potential, did you Daddy?" Amber leered at the picture of her late father that she kept on her desk then laughed to herself once more before leaving her office to go to the surGENS to have her latest whimsical procedure done.


	3. A Song in the Graveyard

**I changed some of the wording in this one to make it read easier, especially with the interaction between Graverobber and Bones.  
><strong>

**Chapter Three – A Song in the Graveyard**

_Six years earlier…_

I crouched low to the ground behind a tombstone as one of the GENcops strode past the graveyard's fence looking for graverobbers, but didn't appear to be looking very thoroughly; he seemed to be more interested in whatever conversation he was having with himself. I smirked and went back to loading a vial into my extraction needle to pull the glow out of the corpse I had recently pulled out of its coffin. Sticking the needle up its nose, I heard the familiar _smack_ as I punched through the tissue into the brain and watched as the vial filled with the glowing blue liquid. It was particularly bright this time, which meant that this one was only a few days dead at the most. As I removed the little glass vial and placed it on my belt with the others I'd already obtained that night, I heard something that one normally wouldn't place in a graveyard.

"_Industrialization has… crippled the globe."_ I snapped my head up then immediately went still as I tried to locate the voice. It was definitely male and had a baritone singing quality. At first, I thought I'd just imagined it since I didn't see anyone else and was about to focus back on my work when,

"_Nature failed… as technology spread."_ This time, I knew for sure that someone else was around, and judging by the tune, it sure as hell wasn't a cop. I don't think they even knew what music was. I quietly placed the corpse back into its grave, collected my harvesting gear and stealthily moved around the graves to locate whoever it was that had the balls to sing in a graveyard with the fuzz crawling around.

"_And in this wake… a market erected."_ It only took me 10-15 seconds of ducking and silence to find the mysterious yet haunting singer. He was kneeled on the ground next to a fresh cadaver and was preparing a needle just like I had been, which was dead-bang guilty proof that he was also a graverobber. He wore a stitched together trench coat with a _faux_ fur collar and had multi-colored dreadlocked hair that fell below his shoulders. His face was unusually white, probably face paint and black lips, more than likely lipstick.

"_An entire city… built on top of the dead! And you can finance your bones… and your kidneys. For every market, a sub-market grows."_ He continued to sing as he loaded the needle into the corpse's nose and extracted the extremely bright blue Zydrate, and for some reason, the cops didn't even seem to notice him. Maybe they thought the singing was from one of the mourners that sometimes came into graveyards to pay homage to loved ones, although why would they be out here so late in the first place?

"_But best you be punctual… with making your payments. Lest it be you on the concrete below."_ The last word was stretched out with a very low note that was incredibly mesmerizing and I almost sighed before catching myself, remembering where I was. I had to get out of there, but I was too close to him to be able to book it quietly enough not to be noticed if the trigger-happy drones were to investigate his activities.

"_It's quick… it's clean… it's pure,"_ he sang as he readied another vial and shoved it into the same corpse. Apparently, this one had quite the drug supply, more than likely used to be an addict. _"It could change you life… rest assured." _The graverobber capped off the vial and seemed to be admiring it. _"It's the 21__st__ century… cure."_ What he did next really astounded me: he stood up! _"And it's my job… to steal and rob, GRAVES!"_ He screamed the last word and finally drew the attention of every patrolman near the cemetery, who came rushing towards us guns cocked and that was when I took the chance to book it. Surprisingly, he ran after me in the same direction, either using the same escape route or just wanting to know who the hell I was. We both ran pell mell, rushing around corners and ducking into dark empty alleys and ended up losing the GeneCo drones. Clinging to the shadows, neither of us breathed as we waited for the drones to give up and resume their graveyard shift. I almost laughed at the irony of that notion but kept my mouth shut. As soon as it was a sure thing that they were really gone, I let myself breathe again and immediately checked my belt to make sure I hadn't lost any of my money-makers, which they were all still there, along with my supplies.

"That has to be the first time in my life I've ever chased after a woman and not the other way around." What a cocky son of a bitch and that conclusion wasn't drawn just from his smirk; the way he carried himself and how he had the balls to sing that loudly in a graveyard of all places. I raised an eyebrow at his comment and finally got a good look at his face despite the shadows that seemed to be closing in around us. He was extremely good-looking with the make-up on and I could only imagine what he looked like without it, not to mention the muscles he probably sported from years of moving coffins and digging into graves. Shaking my head to snap out of my temporary admiration, I adjusted the worn strap of my messenger bag, looked him directly in the eyes, and pressed the smart-ass button in my arsenal.

"Funny jackass, because I thought you were running from the gun-toting drones and singing in the graveyard just for kicks." He may have been hotter than hell, but I wasn't going to let that deter me from finding out who he was. "I'll have you know that this is just one of my many escape routes while I'm out harvesting." While calling him a jackass didn't seem to bother him because he'd probably heard worse, the fact that I was a dealer as well wiped the cocky smirk right off his smug face. He stepped up to me until his face was an inch from mine, where I could feel his breath on my cheek, but I stood my ground. If I could deal with Luigi and Pavi Largo and live to tell about it, this guy would be a piece of cake.

"How the fuck can you be a dealer, bitch?" he demanded in a dangerously low tone that meant business. I guess the comment was meant to get me pissed, but he wouldn't have his desired result.

"I've never seen a female dealer in my whole 'career', more than likely because they can't cut it, plus I'M one of, if not the best, Z dealer on this godforsaken island, and I won't have some damned scalpel slut stepping on my turf with what she thinks is a better grade of Z than mine." Like I said before, I've dealt with the temper of a knife-wielding maniac, so this guy was a whiny kid in comparison. I took a half a step closer so that I was right up against him and I could hear my belt buckle clink against his. However, anyone walking by would've thought we were about to fuck in the alley, if they could see us, that is.

"First off, pal, I am by no means a scalpel slut," I pulled open my three-quarter length vinyl coat on one side, which forced him to take a few steps back.

"All this is exactly what I was born with thank you very much. I just perfected and sculpted it over the years." Indeed it was true; I sported absolutely no surgical scars and I could tell that he was admiring my tight dark blue jeans and plain black V-neck T-shirt, which all the more showed off my curves. I let the coat drop back and he almost looked crestfallen that he couldn't see what I really looked like anymore.

"Secondly, you may call yourself the 'best dealer' in this hellhole, but you sure as shit couldn't keep up with the clientele I've got. Not to mention, I've had a few new ones lately, saying that their usual dealer can't seem to cut it and that the stuff I've got is better, so I obviously don't have the same grade of Z as you do." My green eyes burned into his blue ones and the smirk returned to his face.

"Well, it appears that I was mistaken," he said as he took another step backwards. I crossed my arms over my chest, wondering what he was implying.

"Allow me to introduce myself as your friendly neighborhood Graverobber." He followed that up with a dramatic bow from the waist and I raised an eyebrow at his mocking formalities. He looked up at me with the smallest hint of a smile and asked, "And what might I have the distinct honor of calling you?"

"Bones," was all I said, plus it was the name that came to mind first. I'd given many aliases while I was administering to the junkies, but that name seemed to stick out now. His smile stretched out further, as he seemed to be rolling my name over in his mind then held out his hand to take mine, which I even surprised myself by giving it over. He kissed the back of it and that one small gesture caused my body to become warm all over as well as my head to spin.

"Well then, I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the graveyards, Bonesy." The warm feeling drained away as I heard that mockery of my name and was about to say something in response, except he turned away before I could. "If you need to find me, just ask for 'Graverobber.'" And with a kiss blown in my direction and a flip of his multi-colored hair, he disappeared out of the alley like a shadow stalker. I stood there by myself for a moment until I realized that I should be getting home since there were still GENcops roaming around and I had quite a few vials of Z on me. Switching my mind to survival mode and checking my gear one more time, I started home to catch a couple hours sleep since it was an hour before dawn. However, my brain was half-interested in "Graverobber" and I didn't even notice the shadow keeping with my every step.


	4. Robbers in the Daylight

**A bit of a change in dialogue and description. Please R&R!  
><strong>

**Chapter Four – Robbers in the Daylight**

The sunlight that occasionally managed to slip through the island's gritty smog shone extremely bright on my face, causing me to groan in frustration and roll over. Opening my eyes sleepily, I saw that Graves was still sleeping and snoring, quite loudly at that. I swear, that man could sleep through a hurricane if he was tired enough. I moved his arm from my waist and turned to get out of bed when I felt a hand grip me around the wrist. Looking slyly over my bare shoulder, I saw that he was wearing a wide grin but kept his eyes closed. He then opened one eye and his grin grew wider, if that was possible.

"And just where do you think you're going, Bonesy?" I gave him a mock look of anger and shot back,

"I was trying to get away from you, asshole," he let go of my wrist and gave me a half-assed sad look. I rolled my eyes. "The sun woke me up. I almost forgot what it looked like." I moved off the bed, causing the bright light to hit him in the face and he immediately flinched, throwing the blanket over his head while simultaneously throwing a pillow at me.

"You sneaky little bitch!" he yelled at me, which made me grin as I caught the pillow. "You did that on purpose! You know I worked all night!" He rolled over and sat up, facing away from the small window, all the while glaring at me.

"For you information, just in case the sex last night shorted out your memory, I worked all damn night too." I gave him a smug grin and strutted ever so slowly over to the bathroom to shower. I knew his eyes were on my ass due to his silence and when I looked at him, he winked devilishly.

"Instead of just staring and fantasizing, you could join me," Pausing to grab a few towels, I added: "Cuz Hecate knows you stink just as bad as I do." At that comment, he stood, letting the blanket drop and walked over to where I was near the tub.

"As the profession dictates, sweetheart: While the Z may be clean, the robbers get dirty." With that said, he gave me a kiss that sent me to the moon while cupping my mound in his well worked hand, causing me to moan and dig my nails into his shoulders. Using his other hand to grab my ass, he kissed me harder still, his tongue battling mine for dominance as I dragged my nails further down his back, causing him to growl low in his throat. He broke the kiss for a moment: "Fucking hell woman. Are you trying to give me more scars?" My response to his question/joke was pushing him into the tub, turning on the showerhead and jumping in after him.

"What if I told you I was?" I gave him a bruising kiss and slammed him against the white tiled wall. "Would you have a problem with that?" He grabbed my toned arms, flipped our positions and bit the other side of my neck, drawing blood once again.

"Well, even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference to you now, would it?" My lover licked his lips and the new wound he'd created. "I suppose I'll just have to give you some new ones too, seeing as how this is a… very mutual relationship." I didn't say anything in response because he took possession of my lips again so hard that I felt my bottom lip start to bruise, but I didn't care as he moved his hands to my breasts and cupped them while forcing his tongue past my lips once more. The water doused both of us in warm jets but it was cold compared to the fire-hot passion that we had for each other as I ran my hands up and down his torso while deepening the kiss. Having to breathe, I broke the wrestling of our heated lips to look him in the eyes briefly.

"God damn it, Graves. You're so fucking hot!" He took that as an invitation because he kissed me shortly then moved to my neck, down my collarbone, and paused at my breasts to put my right nipple in his mouth, which he toyed with using his tongue while cupping my mound again. Bracing myself as best I could, I all but shoved him further down my body, where he slipped his tongue ever so slowly inside me, making me moan with ecstasy and pleasure. It didn't take him long to find my sweet spot (it never did) and he lapped it over and over until I had an orgasm so mind-bursting that he had to stand up to catch me before I fell over from the pure love and pleasure of it.

"You look so damn beautiful, Bones. I always want to make you this happy." I felt so elated by his loving words that I started placing hard kisses first on his lips then neck and across his collarbone while placing myself onto his rock-hard erection, making him wrap his arms around my slender body to keep himself from dropping to his knees. I moved up and down his length until he threw his head back with a sound that sounded like a wolf's howl and almost violently shoved me off him while releasing his orgasm onto my abdomen and sinking his teeth into my left breast above the nipple, forcing me to cry out in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

After he came back from whatever planet I'd sent him to, he let go of my skin with blood clinging to his lips and looked at me with a hunger in his eyes. I gave him the same look back and slammed my mouth into his, licking my blood off his lips and wrapping my arms around him in a hug that said I never wanted to let go. He hugged me back with the same amount of passion then released me and said with his trademark smirk,

"I think we should finish up this shower because we do have to go harvesting some time tonight." I twisted my face into a little kid pout and said,

"Do we have to? Can't we just stay in for tonight?" I gave him a deep kiss and when I pulled back, he almost seemed to be reconsidering. "I can think of at least one good reason not to go harvesting." I turned my pout into a sexy smile, but he wasn't backing down. He shook his soaking wet, tangled hair and responded,

"Nope. Sorry babe, but we gotta keep the income going somehow. I personally would rather stay in too, but we don't want our customers to find other dealers now, do we?" He gave me back the same kiss and I finally relented.

"Alright fine. Hand me my shampoo, would ya?" I quickly lathered, separated and rinsed my dreads then washed my body down with the broken bar of soap and stepped out of the claw-foot tub to towel off. After drying off, I walked back to the bedroom and began selecting my daytime clothes when I heard the water shut off and felt two arms snake around my waist. Graves nuzzled into my neck and hugged me tightly to him.

"So, what's for breakfast babe?" He said it half-serious, so I had to roll my eyes and pushed away from him to continue getting dressed.

"Since we don't have anything here, you're gonna have to go with me to get some food seeing as how you obviously want something specific." I pulled on my black boy-cut panties with matching bra, some navy blue socks, and then remarked without turning around, "Quite gawking at me and get fucking dressed, Graves. I wanna fuck you too, but you wanted to emphasize that we had shit to do, so move it or I'm leaving without you." The dead silence turned into quick shuffling as he ran around the room to get some clothes on. I pulled on some baggy black pants with blue stitching, snaked a belt through the loops, an Iron Maiden T-shirt, and my black jump boots. I turned around to make sure that my fellow graverobber was dressed, which he was sporting a pair of faded blue jeans, a Black Sabbath T-shirt, and his ever-faithful boots that had buckles all the way up. I picked up a hair tie from my battered dresser, looped my dreads into a tight bun, and threw a black bandana on over it.

"You look so different like that, I can hardly tell it's you." He tied his own multi-colored hair up into a high bun and shoved a faded denim bucket hat onto his head.

"I could say the same to you, however, it's easier for you since you're always wearing the make-up. All you have to hide is your hair." He walked up to me, gave me a kiss and said,

"Shall we go now?" and offered his arm to me, which I linked mine through, and we strolled toward the back door, grabbing our stolen leather coats on the way out. Checking to make sure that all was quiet outside, we slipped out into the daylight, I locked the door and hid the key then we went to get our day stuff done like any other couple, which we definitely were not.

After we walked for a few blocks towards the shops on the east end of the island, he asked,

"Just out of curiosity, who the fuck is Hecate?" I looked at him, knowing that he was referring to the comment I made about him stinking before our shower sex. I had to think for a minute because it had been a while since I'd read anything on any sort of mythology, but it came back to me.

"She's the Greco-Roman goddess of magic, witchcraft, necromancy, and the crossroads. She also became associated with ghosts, infernal spirits, the dead and sorcery," The last two things I mentioned about her seemed to pique his interest. "I figured since I do what I do, she was the perfect deity to ask for protection and, to sound clichéd, a bountiful harvest." The shops were coming into the view, so Graves stopped me for a moment before we got closer and said,

"You'll have to tell me more about this deity of yours," I smiled and kissed him gently.

"I suppose I'll have to find a mythology book while we're out today." We continued walking and went into the small grocery store first.


	5. Spending the Z and a Familiar Face?

**Just a little bit of tweaking on this one as I didn't like how some of it read. I might rewrite it some more, but tips are always helpful.  
><strong>

**Chapter Five – Spending the Z, and a Familiar Face?**

As soon as we entered the small store, we made a quick survey of who was in there and were very thankful to note that none of the patrons were any of our Z clients. They probably didn't even emerge until nightfall anyway, unless they had a reason other than surgery to get up in the daytime. Taking my hand, Graves led us past the front checkout counter to quickly grab up some eggs, bacon, frozen hash browns, and ketchup. When he went for the soda pop, I shook my head and grabbed the orange juice next to it. He rolled his eyes at my selection and I just started walking towards the checkout, which prompted him to quickly follow with our breakfast. As I handed over the credits, his smart-ass mouth got the better of his brain,

"I don't see why you had to get the orange juice," I collected my change and the plastic bags. "Your ass already looks like an orange as it is." I gave him a dirty look and snapped back just as smart,

"And you're already on your own sugar high all the time, not to mention the flab you're getting," I used my free hand to poke him in the stomach, which the cashier found amusing, causing Graves to glare murderously at the teenage boy. "I personally don't need you bouncing off the walls even more or getting any fatter." I made my way towards the door and he had to run to catch up with me since my comment left him standing next to the counter dumbfounded. I stood waiting for him on the street with my hand on my hip and my head cocked to one side slightly. When he caught up, he gave me a questioning look.

"What?" I rolled my eyes and sighed. He may have had the lowdown when it came to Z and the happenings on the street, but when it came to us, sometimes he could be so damn dumb. "So I may have gained a few pounds. Big fucking deal. You don't have to ride my ass about it, Skinny." That was another nickname he gave me that I absolutely hated because while I may have looked thin, I was in no way skinny. I clenched my teeth and pushed my sudden seething anger down to deal with later and shot back at my boyfriend,

"I'll ride your ass later cuz I know you'll like it. Come on, Chubby. Let's go drop this stuff off and head back out." With that, I walked back to our place with the grocery bags slung over my shoulder.

"Hey, who the hell are you calling 'Chubby', Skinny?" I turned around to face him while walking backwards.

"You know, you're really pushing it today with that 'Skinny' name and I'm guessing it's because you want to provoke me so you can have a go 'round, but it ain't gonna happen 'till later, honey," I paused to let that sink in then said, "Besides, it looks like I was calling you Chubby." I smirked then turned back around. Before he could say anything back, I reached the back door of the house, slipped the key from its hiding place, and was in then back out before anyone would notice. Hiding the key again, I walked over to Graves who seemed to be pouting about me calling him 'Chubby' and he even turned away when I got close to him. In that moment, he looked like a little kid who'd just been scolded by a parent and I dropped my street tough façade by placing my hand on his cheek and turning his face to look at mine.

"Look, this is something I don't do very often and you know firsthand I can be a cold-hearted bitch, so I'm only gonna say this once," I took a deep breath; I really did hate doing this but I did love him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for teasing you so much." He smiled brightly as I put my arms around his neck and he put his arms around my waist to hug me tightly. I kissed his cheek and whispered into his ear, "I just don't want you to become lax and end up getting caught by the graveyard patrols, or worse, by that bitch, Amber Sweet." I said those words in a sincere, loving tone, save the last two that I practically spit out as if I had acid in my mouth. He hugged me tightly while giving me the best kiss I'd ever received and when we parted, he replied,

"I'm sorry for the 'Skinny' nickname that I've been teasing you with lately. I promise I'll quit using it," his causal smirk suddenly replaced the loving smile. "But I'm still gonna call you Bonesy." I groaned, half in annoyance, half in laughter. "You didn't think you were getting off that easily, did ya?" He raised an eyebrow and his eyes grew sinister. "Speaking of getting off…" I silenced him with a finger to the lips.

"Later, Fangs. Later."

"Fangs?" Now he looked confused, but I knew that he knew what I was talking about. All I did was point to the canine marks on my pale neck and he grinned knowingly. "Come on," he put an arm around my shoulders and we started walking back towards the shops. "Let's get this shit done then we can get down to business." I smiled, knowing that he meant something besides Z harvesting, which was exactly what was on my twisted little mind.

We strolled past the grocery store, what looked to be a lingerie shop, which Graves gave me a suggestive glance, but I shook my head with a smile,

"We'll pick something up tomorrow," I gave him a teasing look. "Why? You into wearing lace?" He laughed at my joke and kissed my nose.

"Well, I never did look good in it, but I know you could pull it off. Doesn't mean you can wear it harvesting though." He whispered that last part so no one else on the street would hear. Didn't need to give ourselves away in the daylight. We passed a group of about six suits that looked like they were dressed for court, although the court system around here wasn't for shit anymore since murder was considered legal. The thought actually made me snicker, despite how sadistic it sounded.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking how those suits look like lawyers, except there's no such thing as capital crimes around here anymore." He nodded in agreement.

"Hell, anyone with a decently functioning brain can make a murder look like a repo job. All lawyers are good for these days is defending GeneCo against flimsy lawsuits." He thought for a minute. "Of course, there's always the occasional non-grave related theft, or divorce/custody battle." I nodded at his assessment of the justice system as of late, and pushed open the door of the used book store that was located about twenty minutes away from "Body Beach." I nodded to the shopkeeper, an older woman with dusky blond hair and cloudy gray eyes, who nodded back at us with a kind smile. She was one of those rare people that had never bothered with surgery for anything.

We seemed to be the only customers, but it was hard to tell with the shelves and stacks and stacks of books that covered the walls and almost every inch of floor space. I knew what I was looking for, so I went to the second row of shelves and began flipping through the wide selection of mythology books while Graves wandered around, looking for something that caught his interest.

"Hmm… this one looks good," I said to myself. It was easily a 1,000+-page book that covered quite a few different cultures, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw it was only five credits, granted it was in almost impeccable condition. Gripping the huge book, I moved to the first row of shelves and began browsing the witchcraft writings when Graverobber located me whilst carrying three medium-sized books. "What 'cha gettin', honey?" I asked him while continuing to search.

"Something on some guy called Jack the Ripper, another one on somebody named Charles Manson, and this one's about vampires and werewolves." I stopped looking for a moment to see the covers and nodded in approval, knowing that they were excellent choices.

"Damn, that one's huge!" he exclaimed, indicating to the mythology book I was holding. "How much does that sucker cost?" I flashed him the price and he just whistled. "That's a fucking steal and a half." I grinned and pulled out another fat paperweight book that had spells, their ingredients, and their significance all in it for only six credits. He whistled again and we maneuvered our way through the shelves and stacks up to the counter just as we heard the owner saying goodbye to another customer that we hadn't seen. We didn't think anything of it as the woman rung us up, but as Graves was handing over his credits, he just stopped dead and suddenly bolted for the door as if he had the fuzz on his ass. I managed to catch his money before it scattered on the floor, paid for the books, and thanked the owner before sprinting after him with the bulging bag hanging on my shoulder.

I spotted him across the street, looking both ways frantically as if he'd missed something important, and I was panting by the time I caught up to him.

"What… the hell… was… that all… about?" I managed to get out between gulps of air. He was still turning in circles, looking this way and that.

"You didn't see her?" he asked in a voice that was on the verge of panic. I caught my breath and looked around, seeing no one.

"See who? You look like you've see a ghost." His eyes seemed to agree with what I said.

"I might as well have. I saw the Kid!" he practically shrieked. I had to put my hands on his shoulders to get him to calm down and look me in the eyes.

"The Kid? You mean…" I trailed off as he nodded vigorously and I had to calm my own roil of emotions that decided to flare up. "Are you absolutely sure it was her?"

"As sure as a corpse has Zydrate. I'd know that hair and those eyes of hers anywhere."

"Did she look at you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No, but I saw her profile; that's how I know it was her. She disappeared before I could get close enough and I don't know which direction she went in." I knew his mind was reeling and it was not a good state for him to be in, so I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a soul-searing kiss that left him smirking at me, knowing what I was hinting at.

"Let's go back and play like you wanted to earlier then we'll get to work tonight. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for any gossip or rumors about the Kid and make sure that Amber hasn't found her by that time." He smiled at me so brightly that I thought I'd go blind he looked so ecstatic.

"I'll do the same, but for now, it's about you and me, baby." With that, we walked back to our place, new books in hand, and ready for round two.


	6. Why Bones is Bones

**A/N: Chapter contains sex, language, and a gruesome death. As the title suggests, this chapter is about why Bones became who she is with Graverobber.**

**Chapter Six – Why Bones is Bones**

_August, 2048, 10 years earlier…_

I sighed as I shrugged my long-sleeve black shirt over my shoulders to hold off the cold breeze coming off the water. It may have been summer, but some days on this island, it sure as hell didn't feel like it. The smog from the ever-running factories kept the once-beautiful sky constantly overcast, limiting the seasons to two, sometimes three. I tried to imagine what the sun and stars looked like as I walked to my car in the parking lot of Oceanview College after my student orientation for freshmen year. I could hear the random words of conversations from students and teachers, but didn't pay much attention as I unlocked the door of my classic, ancient was more like it, '69 Dodge Charger RT, black-on-black of course. The thing was almost eighty years old and it still ran like it came off the assembly line yesterday, which was all thanks to my excellent automotive skills taught to me by my boyfriend.

I started up the rare hotrod, drawing quite the number of stares in the process as I rolled out of the lot and turned west to go to my apartment. The drive was only five miles from the campus, where I pulled into the driveway behind my boyfriend's '59 Mercury Wagon, flat black with chrome trim. I smiled as I saw Mortis already standing in the door, waiting for me with a smile. He was dressed in his blue vest that showed off his tattooed arms and bare chest, along with a stained pair of blue jeans and his work boots. As I walked up to him, I frowned when I saw a cigarette in his hand and he took a drag off of it, causing him to cough. I rolled my eyes, kissed his cheek and said,

"You know you're not gonna be around much longer if you don't kick those damn things," I pulled the pack from his vest pocket and opened it. There was one cigarette in it. "When did you buy this pack?" He groaned while sweeping a hand through his long black hair, knowing that I wouldn't like the answer.

"About four hours ago, hun." He tried to keep his voice low, but I could tell his throat had gotten worse by how raspy he sounded. His brown eyes wouldn't meet my green one and I just walked past him into the two-bedroom apartment, throwing my bag onto the couch on my way to the fridge for a drink. He followed after putting his smoke out and wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close. He knew I was pissed and was trying to curb my anger. "So, how was your orientation today?" I cracked open a Guinness and took a drink. Hard to believe that the drinking age on this island was 18, but that was probably GeneCo's way of getting suckers to get new livers.

"It was fine, until fucking Rotti Largo showed up with his spoiled-rotten brat kids." He kissed my shoulder and reached past me to get a New Castle for himself.

"Why the hell did they show up?" he asked, opening the bottle and taking a sip. I shrugged and closed the refrigerator door.

"Officially: Shopping for possible new GENterns. Unofficially: Pavi wants a new face; Amber wants some new boy-toy guards or fuck buddies; Luigi: who the hell knows?" I took another drink and sat on the couch. Mortis took a seat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. "Probably eyeballing people to stab if his temper tantrums kicked in." He chuckled at my assessment of the Largos, which was more than likely true, and set his drink on the coffee table along with mine. He ran his hands gently through my shoulder-length black dreadlocks, separating the tangled ones while placing soft kisses on my skin. I sighed contentedly as I leaned into him while he lifted my shirt up off me, revealing my navy blue lace bra. He reached around my waist and unbuckled my belt while I removed my sneakers and then he unbuttoned my jeans, which I then took his vest off him.

"You don't have to work tonight, do you Lil?" he asked me as he took off his boots. I gave him a mind-blowing kiss and removed my jeans to show off my matching panties.

"Not 'till tomorrow, Mort," and with that I yanked off his jeans and began to straddle him with my hips slowly grinding against his. He grabbed my waist to steady me as I moved myself against the obviously strained bulge in his white boxers. He started placing kisses down my front while removing my bra and then gently caressing my breasts while I moved my hands over his back and shoulders.

"So, you wanna do this here or shall we move to the bedroom?" he asked while nipping at my neck.

"Right here's just fine," I said playfully tugging at his boxers. "Besides, we haven't done it on the couch in a while." He kissed me hard while pulling off my panties and I pulled off his boxers, seeing that he was already at a full erection. Before I could place my wet center onto it, he put on a condom (no kids for us thank you very much) and then gently set me on himself and started a slow steady rhythm that felt like absolute Heaven.

Upon finding my G-spot, which he could tell by my moaning, he pushed me back so that he was on top and began thrusting harder until I had the most star-struck orgasm in my life. After I came back out of my high, I saw that he had pulled out and was almost snarling like a wolf, which meant his orgasm was just as fabulous as mine. When he was done, he pulled the condom off and collapsed next to me, breathing hard. Without looking at him, I said,

"So, if you wanna keep up those orgasms, you've gotta quit smoking, Mortis Kevork." I only used his full name when I was serious about something that concerned him and he sighed in defeat.

"Alright." He sat up and reached into his vest pocket to take out and literally crush the cigarette pack right in front of me. I had to blink and rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing correctly. He looked at me and said "One, I'm sick of you nagging me about it, Lilith Onatah, and second, I'm not too keen about sounding like a frog that's got too many flies stuck in its throat." He got up and threw the mangled plastic away then laid down next to me, yawning. "I love you and I always want to be there for you. This is my first step towards making that goal." I smiled despite the fact that I was exhausted and kissed him deeply.

"I love you too and I'm glad that you've committed yourself to this." I snuggled close to him and pulled a blanket over us from the back of the couch. "I personally don't wanna get the call that you're in the hospital, or in a body bag on my slab." He chuckled, kissed my shoulder and we both fell asleep in a few short minutes. Little did either of us know that my little joke would become a gruesome reality.

* * *

><p><em>June, 2050, Two years later…<em>

I locked the door to the coffee shop, said goodnight to my partner and walked over to Mortis' Mercury that was waiting for me across the street. He smiled as I got in, gave me a quick kiss and started the car to take us home for the night. I had just graduated earlier that day with an Associate's Degree in Mortuary Science, and then had to work the closing shift at Siren's, so I was pretty damn tired and just wanted to go home and pass out.

"How was work, babe?" he asked as he headed west towards the city's center, which was the opposite direction from our apartment, but I was so tired that I really didn't care. I knew Mortis for doing stuff like this and it always had a great outcome. I yawned, stretched and replied,

"It was busy as all fuck since there were a lot of college grads today." I sighed. "I can't believe they made me work after graduation, but that's how ya make the dough." He smiled and held my hand as he continued to drive, and that was when I noticed that he was dressed pretty sharp in a nice black shirt and black jeans. For once, he wasn't wearing his work boots, but a nice pair of black leather boots and his hair was pulled into a ponytail. Before I could ask him about his sudden change in appearance, he stopped the car, turned it off, got out, and then came around to open my door, which was really bizarre at this point. He helped me out of the Wagon and that was when I noticed that we were pretty close to one of the larger graveyards in the city. "Mort, what exactly are we doing here? Don't you know these places are constantly patrolled?" He just smiled and led me towards the graves in the open cemetery.

"No need to worry, Lil. It's not like we're graverobbers." I was still pretty cautious regardless because I heard how trigger-happy the GeneCops could be, but since I currently didn't see any, I let my guard drop a little. We walked in silence among the tombstones for a few minutes until Mort stopped and turned to face me. He held my hand and seemed to be searching my eyes for something before he spoke,

"This is something I've been contemplating for a long time and I've never been more sure of anything in my life," It was then I noticed that his other hand was in his pocket and my mind started racing along with my pulse. "You're the only woman I've ever truly loved, Lilith and I don't want you to think otherwise." He paused to take a deep breath. "I also know how you feel about me, but I also want you to know that I'm very proud of you for graduating today." He then dropped to one knee and took his hand out of his pocket. "Lilith Onatah, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" I was so overwhelmed with my own feelings for him that all I could do was nod my head while I felt tears of happiness flow down my cheeks. I watched as he placed a simple but beautiful ring of silver with an onyx onto my ring finger, and then stood up to give me a hug and kiss to seal the deal, so to speak. I don't think I could've been happier than in that moment, but, as we all know with happy moments, they always get interrupted.

"WE HAVE GRAVEROBBERS ON PREMISES! I repeat, WE HAVE GRAVEROBBERS ON PREMISES! LOCKDOWN! LOCKDOWN!" We didn't even have a chance to think before the GeneCops started closing in on us and a few already had their guns loaded, ready to fire. Knowing we wouldn't make it to the car, we bolted for just about any place we could hide, which meant the alleys. Before we could make it to one of said alleys, I heard a gunshot ring out and then heard the most horrible sound I'd ever heard in my life: the sound of the man I loved screaming in pain as I watch his blood splatter on the cobblestones and his body falling with a sickening thud. I turned to help him, but he spoke as loud as he could, his dying words to me,

"No, go hide, Lil! I'll always love you and be there for you!" My eyes flooded with tears of sorrow as the drones got closer. "GO! NOW!" he shouted as his form fell still. With the tears flowing uncontrollably, I ran as fast as my legs would go, shots bouncing off the walls and sidewalk as I finally managed to lose the GeneCops by ducking into a small dark alley.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting and holding my breath, I poked my head around the corner to see that all was quiet. I could see Mortis' body still laying where he'd been shot and I cautiously made my way over to him just on the off-chance that he was still alive. As soon as I saw the shotgun blast in his back and the large pool of blood underneath him, I knew for sure that the man I'd loved with all my heart was dead; Dead after just asking me to be his wife. Without even thinking, I ran his pockets like a common thief and took everything that anyone else would've been glad to have for themselves. I wanted to keep anything that identified him so that no one else could steal his identity. As a final gesture of love or maybe it was insanity starting to rear its ugly head, I brushed his black hair from his face and placed one last kiss on his still-warm lips then turned and walked back to the Mercury, quietly accepting the fact that he was gone. Mortis Kevork was gone, along with my humanity. As I started the car and headed home, I made a hard decision to never love anyone again and live as minimally as possible. Lilith Onatah died back there with Mortis Kevork. I'd only be known to the world as Bones.


	7. Graves, Zydrate and Of Course, Amber

**A/N: Chapter contains graverobbing, drug use, and language.**

**Chapter Seven – Graves, Zydrate and Of Course, Amber**

The Z harvesting was particularly good tonight as I shoved a needle into another corpse and watched the blue liquid fill the vial. This was the seventeenth cadaver I'd collected from and I'd only been to three cemeteries so far. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a harvest this good as I secured the glass vial on my belt and searched for another grave, all the while keeping an eye out for the drones scuttling around. I chose an aboveground tomb set close to one of the mausoleums and didn't take the time to read the inscription, as it would only make me think about who I was robbing. In this "business," thinking too much could get you killed. As I moved the stone lid and pulled the plastic wrapped body out, I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing straight. Even though it had been eight years since that night, I would've recognized those clothes anywhere. I ducked down to avoid being caught in a cop's flashlight and I managed to get a closer look at the body, and without a doubt in my mind, I had stumbled upon Mortis' grave. What are the fucking odds? I don't know what made me do it, maybe it was my goddamn conscience or the fact that I still had him in my heart, but I carefully placed him back into the stone coffin, moved the lid back into place, and marked it so that other robbers would think it'd been harvested already. Before I left the graveyard, I took a rose from my messenger bag that I'd snatched from a florist cart and placed it lovingly on the tomb then collected my gear and quietly slipped away without so much as a backwards glance. I shed a few tears for him then put my business face on as I approached Addicts Alley, just in time to see the addicts stumble out of their meetinghouse. I checked my supply, loaded my gun, and stepped into their midst, only to attract the desperate swarm. Time to do some business.

* * *

><p>I had just finished shooting up my current client with my last bit of Z when Graves made his entrance to take care of the latest group, which they literally flocked to him. I smiled and he gave me a wink before starting his transactions, which I took as my cue to slide into the shadows. I'd made enough dough for one night plus I was all out anyway, and I personally didn't wanna be seen by Miss Sweet should she decided to show her fake face.<p>

* * *

><p>About four hours later, the last scalpel slut was rolling on her high on the ground as Graves was packing up his gear after yet another successful night of selling. He sauntered over to where I was hidden and beckoned for me to come out, which I started to, but he suddenly put a hand on my shoulder, shoved me into a pitch-black doorway and put a finger to my lips, indicating for me to be silent, which I responded to by kissing the tip of his finger. He put on his trademark smirk, quickly moved away, and loaded up his Zydrate gun. I only needed one guess as to who that was for and no sooner did the thought come to mind that the plastic bitch rounded the brick corner, acting high and mighty as ever. Not wanting to be spotted I quietly moved back so all I could do was listen and wait.<p>

"Graverobber… graverobber." Amber's voice had a seductive tone, which almost always meant that she wanted something other than Z.

"The one and only," I could just imagine the mocking grin he was sporting. "And just what is the CEO of GeneCo doing down here and unescorted on this night?" I almost snorted at his tone of voice, but was also intrigued. She was without bodyguards? That was unusual. I could hear her heels clicking on the pavement and then a brief silence.

"That's none of your business, Graves," she drawled out his name, which made me wanna puke. The bitch sounded high already or even drunk. That was an amusing thought. "I want a hit and some information." That really caught my attention and I forced myself to tune out everything else except the conversation.

"You still owe me for the last hit I gave you, bitch," The man had balls, I had to give him that. "Besides, what makes you think I know anything? I'm just a humble graverobber." I had to cover my mouth to keep from busting out laughing because humble was the absolute last thing he was, and I could almost see the murderous look she was probably giving him right now.

"Fuck you, Graves."

"Been there, done that. Wouldn't wanna visit again."

"Quit fucking around and tell me where she is!" Amber shrieked. Graves kept his cool, like he always did.

"Tell you where who is, Miss Sweet?" I could imagine his nonchalant expression and him toying with the Zydrate gun, not to mention her getting more pissed off but she wouldn't do anything to him.

"Shilo Wallace, Goddammit!" she shrieked again. Thankfully, it was only the three of us in the alley. "And give me my Z!" The next thing I heard was credit coins hitting the ground, which was a first.

"Calm down, Amber. You'll wake the dead and there's enough of them to kick-start the zombie apocalypse," No shrieking this time cuz she probably had no clue what he was referring to. Dumb bitch. "You'll get your Z, but I don't know where the Wallace kid is."

"Bullshit!"

"Nope, no shit." I could hear his boots on the pavement as he was probably stepping closer to her. "Haven't seen the kid since Mag offed herself."

"Then I'll just ask your fucking whore where she is!"

"I thought you didn't know where she was. That's why you were asking me." Now he was really pushing her buttons, but I knew she still wasn't gonna do anything. She valued his "services" too much to have him killed. "Here. Take your Z and get outta here." I didn't hear the familiar shot of the gun, so that must've meant that he just gave her a vial. "Like I told you, I don't know where the kid is." His tone was telling her that the conversation was over and I knew she had to be fuming right now.

"Fine, but if I find out that you're bullshiting me, I will have you repoed." After that empty threat, all I heard was her heels clicking away into silence and I waited until Graves came over to my hiding spot, which meant that she was gone.

"Let's get out of here, Bones." He whispered to me and without a word from me, we began winding our way through the back roads to our place.

* * *

><p>When we got back, we hung up our coats and I was debating whether or not to tell him about Mortis since I had yet to reveal any details about my past. I knew I had to tell him at some point and with what happened tonight it seemed to be as good a time as any. I must've been deep in my thoughts because the next thing I knew, he was in front of me, calling my name.<p>

"Bones? You awake in there?" He waved a hand in front of my face and I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm awake. I was just thinking."

"Must've been about something heavy duty for you to not notice someone as handsome as me standing in front of you." I had to smile at that and gave him a kiss to let him know I was still there. I then took his hand and we went to our room to settle down for some sleep, but before I dozed off, I made up my mind to let him in on my past. However, that was going to wait until tomorrow since we already had enough shit happen to us for one day.

"Goodnight, Graves."

"Goodnight, Bones." He gave me a passion-filled kiss then held me by my waist as he quickly fell asleep while I stayed awake for a little while, and then finally closed my eyes after deciding on how to tell him about my life before robbing.

**A/N: Kind of short, but I feel as though I got the point across or at least the gist of it. R&R please!**


	8. My Past and Our Future

**Chapter Eight – My Past and Our Future**

I awoke to a smoke-patched sky and the smell of breakfast being made, which brought a smile to my face as I slowly got out of bed. I wasn't too surprised that Graves was up before me and making food, so I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt and walked to the kitchen to join him.

"Morning there, beautiful." He greeted me as I walked up to him for a good morning kiss. He turned back to the eggs he was scrambling. "Sleep well?" I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. "What's the matter, Bones?"

"Well, I didn't sleep well to answer your first question, and as for the second one: it's kind of a long story." I gave him a half-smile at his concerned expression. "Finish making breakfast then I'll tell you what's up." I grabbed two plates and silverware as he was finishing up the eggs, and then portioned them, along with bacon and hash browns, onto the dishes. We sat at the two-seater table and he gave me his full attention while slowly eating. I took a couple bites then began my story:

"I stumbled onto something while robbing last night that I really wished I hadn't because it stirred up some pretty depressing shit," I paused to look at him before my next statement. "This is something I've never told you because with our line of work, revealing anything to anyone can be fatal. I know I can trust you with this though, so here it is: I opened my dead fiancée's tomb last night." His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he heard that I used to be engaged. He then gave me a caring look and took my hand in his.

"You know for sure it was him you found?" I nodded, but didn't elaborate on how I knew. "What happened, Bones? You know you can tell me." I looked up at him and could see the love in his eyes that he had for me, which made me smile.

"I had just graduated from college earlier that day and he picked me up from work that night. He was dressed up, which was weird, and he drove us to a graveyard where he proposed to me," I took a deep breath and pushed back the tears that threatened to well up. "It was all going great until the fucking GENcops thought we were graverobbers and shot him in the back while I barely got away." Graves squeezed my hand as my voice started to crack, but I kept my composure. "After shit settled down, I checked to see if he was really dead then took anything that any thief would, sold our place, put the cars in storage, and became a graverobber." I let out a laugh, which he smiled at me for. "I had been dealing for two years the night I met you." He then leaned over the small table and gave me a kiss.

"I've never forgotten that night, and seeing as how we're going through confession, I suppose I might as well tell you this: That night we met, I," he hesitated for a moment. "I followed you after supposedly disappearing into the night." I raised an eyebrow since I had always wondered about his character that night. If I had been in full survival mode instead of half-assed, I probably would've noticed him following me. I shrugged it off, which caused him to look at me funny. "What was that for?" I smirked.

"I just had a feeling that you did that. It's not too surprising to know that you followed me due to your reaction to the revelation that I wasn't a scalpel slut or Z addict." I surprised myself by laughing at my next thought. "I guess I was kind of glad that someone actually took an interest in me after Mortis was killed. Although, I thought you were just being a smart ass." Saying his name made a few tears fall, which made Graves gave me a big bear hug and hold me for a moment to make sure I was all right.

"Vladimir."

"What did you say?" I pushed myself back a bit so I could look him in the eye to make sure my hearing hadn't gone on the fritz.

"Vladimir Tlaloc. That's my name," he half-scoffed. "Hell, I'm surprised I even remember it. I've been 'Graverobber' for so long, I just figured my real name would've faded along with my old self." I put a hand on his cheek and caressed his skin softly while I tried to conjure up my original name before "Bones." His eyes watched mine as I searched my deepest memories and finally found what I was looking for.

"Lilith. Lilith Onatah. That's what I used to be called." My voice felt dead as I said that, almost as if it didn't matter anymore what my name was. I started to stand up to go back to the bedroom, but Graves held my arm so I would look at him, which I turned to see him smiling at me. "What?" I asked.

"Lilith; that's a very beautiful name and it suits you well." My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped somewhat. He liked my old name? I always hated it because it was associated with the original vampire/succubus and I got called some nasty names because of it, but he thought it was beautiful?

"You think my name's beautiful?" he nodded and gave me a kiss that warmed me all over and left my mind reeling. I stood there for a moment before I was able to speak again and when I did, I felt my voice regain its life once more.

"I'd honestly have to say that I never pictured you as a 'Vladimir.' What if I call you 'Vlad' for short; when we're not in public of course." He seemed to be considering the nickname and smirked.

"Vlad; kind of like Vlad the Impaler." He had been reading that vampires/werewolves book. "I like it. It sounds almost as mysterious as Graverobber. How 'bout I call you Lily?"

"Lily: I like that and it was also my favorite flower when I was a kid."

"Lily it is then."

"Good. Now let's clean up the breakfast dishes and go out before we have to go to 'work.'" He laughed at my air quotations around the word "work" and quickly cleaned up the kitchen then we retreated to the bedroom to get dressed for our daytime explorations.

As I was lacing up my boots, I asked him: "So, what are we gonna do about finding Shilo?" he looked at me while he was throwing a shirt over his head.

"Well, we've obviously gotta find her before Amber does cuz we both know what she'll do to the Kid." I nodded at that assessment since the spoiled brat never liked any sort of competition and Shilo was her biggest threat right now. "And judging from the 'conversation' I had with her last night, she's doing everything in her power to find the poor girl, not to mention looking for you." He glanced over at me as I stood up to tie my hair back and said something that I never thought I'd hear from him. "I don't think I could stand it if she got a hold of you, Lily." I paused in what I was doing as I felt his arms around my shoulders and his lips nuzzle my neck. I reached my arms around his waist to hug him back and replied with an air of confidence,

"Don't worry about me, Vlad. If I can fend off the brothers, and live to tell about it, I can handle anything their bitch sister deals out." He suddenly spun me around to look me in the face and got serious.

"I mean it, Bones. I don't want anything to happen to you now that I know we can trust each other completely," Graves then sighed longingly before saying his next sentence. "I'm making you a promise here and now, and I want you to do the same: I'm not going to abandon you, get myself killed, or end up in the Largos' clutches. I promise you that." I searched his face and knew without a doubt that he meant it, and I couldn't deny that I'd never leave him alone either, or let myself get killed or caught. We gave each other a hug then he said: "I guess you could call this the start of the rest of our lives together." I smiled in his arms as a few tears of happiness came to my eyes and I knew that he'd never break his promise to me nor would I ever betray him.

After we got over our little Hallmark moment, we finished getting our clothes on, left the house and went about our day, all the while trying to figure out how to find Shilo Wallace before the Largos did.


	9. The Repo Man's Discovery

**Chapter Nine – The Repo Man's Discovery**

A scream ripped through the night as the sound of heavy boots pursued it through the dark streets and empty alleys. This unlucky person was soon to be the Repo man's current "customer" and they were trying to find a spot to hide, but would only be prolonging the inevitable. Anyone knew that as soon as one of these killers had spotted you, you were as good as dead, regardless of how fast you ran or how far. The defaultee was only about 21 and had missed his last three pelvic bone payments due to business being bad for him recently. He managed to lose the assassin and ducked into a large abandoned factory to catch his breath and find a place to hide. As he stuffed himself into a crawl space in the basement, he cursed the reason why he was in this spot.

"Damn you, Graverobber; you and your bitch, Bones. I wouldn't be in this dilemma right now if it wasn't for you two." His little diatribe didn't last any longer as he heard the boots draw closer and was suddenly yanked from his hiding place as if the murderer knew where he was the whole time. The Repo man pulled back his scalpel to slice the Z dealer's throat, but the desperate man tried a last-ditch effort to save his own ass.

"Wait! You're looking for Graverobber, aren't you?" The tall, leather-clad figure stopped in mid-swipe at the question. It was common knowledge that Amber Sweet wanted the infamous robber, but for what reason was anyone's guess, and now that it was known that he had a female partner, the CEO wanted him off the streets even more. Re-sheathing his scalpel, the Repo man nodded at the now-relaxed "customer" to continue. The dealer got a sly grin on his face. 'I knew that this information would come in handy once the Repo man got sent after me. Now I can keep dealing while Graves and Bones get what's coming to them.'

"I know where you can find him, along with his bitch," This seemed to pique the legal assassin's interest even more from the way his head cocked to one side, so the man plowed on, "They're both regular dealers at the Zydrate Support Network around Crucifixus Corner, and she always goes first then he follows up," He paused to straighten his jacket that had gotten ruffled earlier when he was snatched up. "If you don't repo me, I can show you who she is because she has a 'talent' for blending in with the scalpel sluts and addicts." The Repo man stepped away and spoke in a low, dark voice into his wrist-phone to someone who was more than likely Amber Sweet, telling her what he'd discovered. After about a minute, he cut the link and motioned for the dealer to follow him, to GeneCo Tower no doubt. Without a word between them, the unusual pair arrived at the company's headquarters in less than ten minutes and were riding the elevator up to the top office. The slashing psychopath led his patron down the hall to the door at the end and paused to hear the usual quarreling of the three siblings, mostly Amber and Luigi with Pavi interjecting every now and then.

"That son of a bitch tried to tell me that he didn't know where she was!" Amber's rant could be heard through the door, followed by the splintering of wood just as the Repo man opened the door without so much as a knock. The Largos stopped their bickering to see who it was and looked surprised to see one of their employees with someone who should've been dead.

"Who the fucking hell are you?" Luigi screeched while drawing his knife. The dealer flinched, but it didn't last as Amber regained her composure first and threw a leg from the now-totaled chair at her older brother. The wood hit him point-blank in the shoulder, causing him to drop his toy and glare at his sister, who just gave him a flirtatious smirk and he just shook his head in disgust.

"Really now, brother. You should learn to be more polite to our guests." She motioned for the young man to move forward. "I'd hate for anyone to think that you had an anger problem." Luigi just continued to glare as he retrieved his knife and put it back in its sheath. Pavi giggled behind the hand that was over his mouth as the dealer walked to Amber's desk with the Repo man about a foot behind him.

'Probably just trying to intimidate me,' he thought to himself as the CEO hoisted herself up onto her desk and crossed her legs in a seductive fashion. His breath hitched in his throat as she revealed her long, tanned legs that went on for miles up to a very short hunter green silk skirt, and from what he could tell, she wasn't wearing any underwear. 'Might not be wearing a bra either.' The thought made his heart speed up a few notches. Amber may have been the biggest bitch in the world, but she was still hotter than hell, and she knew how to use that to her advantage.

"Your services are no longer required here," she was speaking to the Repo man behind him. "Here's your next assignment." She handed him a clear clipboard and he retreated out of the office without a sound. Her flickering violet eyes returned to the man standing in front of her and she smiled with the new Angelina-style lips she'd recently gotten. Her brothers took that up as their cue to leave and she didn't even bat an eye when they closed and locked the door behind them. She leaned back on one hand and casually started unbuttoning her suit jacket. "What do they call you, dealer?" she asked sensuously.

"Wolf," he responded with a tiny squeak in his voice as she revealed a sapphire blue silk blouse, not to mention her perfected cleavage. 'Definitely not wearing a bra.' She spread her legs open and pulled him towards her roughly by his jacket sleeve. She then put his hand on her thigh and began to move it slowly over her skin.

"Wolf. Like the wild animal?" He was so stunned by her that he could only nod in response. She put his other hand on her other thigh. "Mmm… I like wild animals." She moaned as she arched her back while grinding her bare pussy against the bulging length in his jeans. Wolf moaned as she did that and it only grew deeper as Amber started to roughly kiss and bite at his neck. He moved his hands from her thighs to remove her jacket then damn near ripped off her blouse, which she probably had a million of those. "Most definitely a wild animal," she purred in his ear and that only enticed him further.

"You better believe it, babe," and he clamped down on her left nipple while fondling her clitoris under her skirt. Amber moaned, screamed is more like it, in pure pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing them both on top of the desk in a tangle of flesh. She quickly removed his jeans and impaled herself onto him, where he began thrusting into her almost uncontrollably, both of them becoming slick almost immediately.

After only a few minutes, they both climaxed to the point of passing out but she recovered quicker than he did. Straightening her skirt, Amber retrieved a new blouse from her closet and began buttoning it up. Hearing Wolf groan, she whirled around to see him moving himself off her now-disastrous desk. Fastening the last button and pulling her suit jacket back on, she said,

"Now, who's Graverobber's bitch and where can we find her?" Wolf almost dropped his pants he was so stunned by her sudden change of moods. Fumbling with his belt, he managed to reply,

"You can find her on Crucifixus Corner, whenever the Zydrate meetings get out." He smoothed his hair back and fixed his jacket. She tapped her heel impatiently. "She goes by 'Bones,' and has long black-and-red dreadlocks. Ain't no-one else who looks like her," Amber tossed her hair over her shoulder and sauntered over to the Z dealer, smiling once more. She forced her lips over his and kissed him so hard that Wolf was left dazed when she disengaged.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wolf. Your information will be put to good use." She sat down on a small couch and called out, "Luigi! Pavi!" Her siblings strode into the room with the Repo man in tow. They'd been right outside the door the whole time. They knew what would happen all along.

"Wait a minute! I thought we had a deal!" Wolf whimpered as the assassin drew his scalpel and slashed his throat without so much as a warning.

"We had a deal for your information, not for your repossession." The dying man tried to speak, but it came out as small gurgles as his blood drained out of the wound. The Repo man hoisted the soon-to-be-dead dealer over his shoulder to take care of business in his own lab.

"GENterns!" Pavi called out into the hall in his singsong voice and four women came in to begin cleaning up the bloody mess that the murderer had left behind.

"So, her name's 'Bones, huh?" Luigi asked rhetorically while cleaning his knife. "That's all she'll be when I'm through with her!"

"Make sure you-a save her-a face for the Pavi, dear-a brother!" Pavi exclaimed examining the peeling corners of his face in the mirror. "I'm afraid the-a Pavi will-a need it soon!" Amber waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"All in good time, brothers, all in good time. First, we need to find the Wallace kid, and since Graverobber was a fucking bust in more ways than one, we'll have to keep searching the old-fashioned way." She stood up and started pacing with her arms behind her back. "It's too bad that I'm too recognizable no matter where I go, but what if we made some of our GENterns look like scalpel sluts?" She turned her gaze towards the four women busily cleaning the blood out of the carpet. They didn't appear to be listening to the conversation. When they were finished, they began to leave, but were stopped by the brothers.

"We-a require your services for a while longer." Pavi said, causing two of the women to squeal with delight. Amber smirked wickedly.

'This is going to be easier than I thought. They just better not fuck it up, but GENterns are expendable.' "Here's what we need you four to do…"


	10. Suspicious Scalpels

**A/N: I didn't realize it until after I was reading this again that I goofed and had five GENterns instead of four. Fixed it now.  
><strong>

**Chapter Ten – Suspicious Scalpels**

I let out a practiced moan and faked an orgasm as my current addict thrust into me with all he had, which wasn't much compared to Graves. I pushed him off me when he tried to kiss my neck and watched him fumble to take the condom off while I loaded my gun to give him his shot for the evening. After discarding it and pulling his pants up, he had the nerve to say,

"What the fuck's your problem tonight?" I rolled my eyes and turned the injection dose up to 75 milliliters.

"None of your goddamn business, Jack. You should know that you don't ask your dealer questions. Now, gimme your arm." He held out a somewhat muscular tattooed arm and I shot the drug into the already-raised vein, almost as if it was craving the Z. "Now go pass out somewhere. I got lots of customers tonight." Jack mumbled something incoherent as he stumbled off into the glitzy lights of the alley and the next scalpel strolled up to me. That tipped me off immediately: This one must've been new. She didn't move around like a druggie as the rest did and from what I could tell, there were almost no surgical scars. That set off a red light in my brain, but I masked it really well as I caught Graves out of the corner of my eye. 'Hmm… making an early appearance tonight, aren't we?' I thought to myself. He nodded to me and I turned my full attention back to the newbie. "What'cha need, kid?" I asked with a tone of almost disinterest. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen.

"You Bones?" She had a very direct attitude, but that wouldn't play well very long down here.

"Maybe. What do you want? I got no time for games, kid." She flipped her light pink hair with bright green streaks over her shoulder.

"I want a hit." I raised an eyebrow and held the gun up as if to taunt her.

"Really now?' I fingered the dosage dial. "Is that what you _really_ want?" I took a menacing step closer and she backed up a little, bumping into someone. "What's the matter, kid? You afraid of me?" I dropped my voice to a low octave to sound creepy and it seemed to have the desired effect. The girl backed up so far so fast that when she hit the wall, she was forced to the grimy ground, all in about three seconds. I chuckled then turned to face another client. This one had been around and I don't just mean on the surgical block. She carried herself like the old school streetwalkers of the 20th century, but hardly anybody paid money for sex these days, so she must've been considered top notch in that business.

"Wuzzup… Bones?" she drawled out with a drunken slur and I knew she didn't have any money for the Z. I was one of the few dealers that didn't take credit from chicks for obvious reasons, so I simply pointed in Graves' direction and she stumbled over to him without another word, where he obliged her "request."

"Who's next?" I called out into the crowd of gathered lost souls and four women came up to me at once. I immediately put my guard up as they practically surrounded me and I saw Graves coming in my direction after finishing up with Cleo to see what was going on. I eyed the chick in front of me: she had bleach-blond hair that hung in curls to her shoulders and smoldering blue eyes that would've looked pretty hot had they not had a killer look in them. She was dressed in an electric blue mini skirt and pink fishnet shirt with a floral print bra overtop. Typical scalpel slut attire, but something intuitive told me that she was anything but. I saw no recent surgical scars in the usual places since most of them jumped the hospital after getting a procedure done just to get their fix. My savior, as I called him at that moment, came up behind the girl with black-and-yellow straight hair and vibrant green eyes and spoke in his usual business voice,

"Anything I can help you ladies with?" He held up his gun and loaded a fresh vial of Z into it and the slut behind me squealed in the most annoying voice I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot of high-pitched voices) and damn near bowled him over as she jumped at him. "Well, I see someone knows what they want." He set the dosage dial and waited as she handed him a handful of credits, more than I'd ever seen in my years as a dealer, and he turned the dial up some more then shot her up in the neck. I looked at her as she twitched and rolled on the high on the dirty ground and asked him,

"How much did you just give her?" while completely ignoring the other three women. He just shrugged and gave me his cocky smirk.

"Just enough to compensate what she paid me and then some."

"Hey bitch, did you forget about us standing here?" the blue-eyed slut in front of me damn near screamed and raised a perfectly manicured hand to smack me, but I caught it before she could swing and held fast.

"Now that's not very nice." I gave a hard look to the other two with her. "If you want what you came here for, you'd better learn real quick to play the game or I'm gonna send you off to someone who isn't as fairly priced or as generous as I am." Graverobber looked ready to kick some ass if needed, but I shook my head at him, letting him know that I could handle these three bimbos if it came down to it. He re-tuned the dial on his Z gun and walked to another group of customers that had just come out of the meetinghouse, but made sure to keep an eye on me while he serviced them. I let go of the slut's arm and put on my business face. "Now, how much you all got?" The one to my left tossed me about fifty credits and stuck out her arm. She had short dark brown hair and fiery red eyes and was dressed almost all in red, with patches of yellow and orange. It looked like she'd just ran out of the flames of Hell. Before she could blink, I shot her just above the collarbone and watched her drop like a fresh corpse that had just been repoed. Now I just had two to deal with. However, before I could address either one of them and move on, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my lower back, almost right where my kidney was, but I managed to keep myself together long enough to pull off a calculated drop before anything else could be done. I dropped my zydrate gun in the process and saw the bleach-blond try to pick it up, but Graves was on her faster than a robber on a fresh cadaver.

"Watch out, Bones!" he shouted while backhanding the blond that had sliced me. The fourth one of the group went for my gun, but I quickly gave her a left hook upside her yellow/black-haired head and her green eyes glazed over as she fell to the ground. I knew she wasn't dead, but would definitely be out for a while then wake up with a hell of a headache. I grabbed my backside and felt the wound leaking blood steadily and I began to feel dizzy.

"Looks like we're closing shop early tonight." I managed to get out as Graves picked up the surgical scalpel that had done the deed and tucked it into his coat pocket. He seemed perplexed that I still had a sense of humor despite what had just happened to me and I was bleeding like crazy. I waved a hand at him. "She didn't hit anything vital, so a couple of stitches and I'll be fine."

"Let's get outta here." He glanced towards the alley's opposite entrance just then. "Oh shit! Now we've really gotta book it!" I was just able to get a quick look at the GeneCops that swarmed in, causing the addicts to scatter in fear, which had just confirmed my suspicions from earlier. Without waiting for me to object, Graverobber picked me up in a carrying position and took off in a dead-run in the direction of our house. I heard some shouts behind us and a couple pairs of heavy boots hitting the pavement, but we quickly lost them by weaving through the dark spots of the city and when I saw the familiar neighborhood, I passed out in his arms.

I woke up to the feeling of something sharp digging into my back and my skin being tugged by something else. I must've made a noise because the feelings suddenly ceased and I felt a hand on my cheek.

"You alright there, Lily?" The comforting voice of Vlad brought me back to where I was and I nodded weakly and gave his hand a light kiss. The sharpness and tugging started again but didn't last long as I felt the thread being tied off and a gauze bandage being placed over the fresh stitches. He patted my back lightly and put his medical kit away. "You should be alright now. Just try not to stretch too much or you'll break the stitches." I managed to roll over even though it hurt like hell and realized then that I was only wearing my underwear and a pair of his sweatpants. I brushed it off and said,

"So does this mean no harvesting for me or what cuz we both know that you can't do it all by yourself." Vlad put his kit away in the bathroom and answered,

"You can still harvest; you just can't deal now until your wound heals, and you'll have to be extra careful when harvesting. First sign of the cops and you're outta there." I got a pissed off look on my face, but not at him. I was mad at myself for letting my guard down and it nearly got us both caught.

"Fucking GENterns." I muttered.

"What did you say?" he looked at me with a curious expression.

"Those weren't scalpel sluts. They were GENterns. It's the only thing that makes sense. Think about it: not a one of them had the fresh incision marks or hack-job stitches, they didn't walk around like the rest of the druggies, and after the one stabbed me, they tried to take my gun and then the cops showed up." I let out a frustrated growl. "Too much shit to be a damn coincidence." He started pacing; something he did when he was really aggravated and after a few minutes of silence, he said,

"Someone obviously told the Largos who you were and where you dealed, and now it looks like Amber's trying to kill you cuz she thinks that I know where the Kid is hiding." He shook his head and gave a forced laugh. "She may be a bitch, but when it comes to exacting a vendetta, she's not stupid. I wish I never would've gotten involved with her, otherwise this might not have happened." I stood up carefully and gave him a small hug.

"Don't start talking like that, Vladimir," I said. "You're starting to sound like one of those hopeless movie heroes that think they can fix everything by giving themselves over to the enemy. Not gonna happen, pal." He gave me a short kiss and gently hugged my shoulders.

"I know, Lily. I just don't want anything to happen to you or the Kid, but now that someone ratted you out, you're gonna have to play hide-and-seek for a while 'till we can figure out what to do." I sighed in defeat; I hated having to hide from anyone, especially when it came to the Largos, but now I had no choice.

"That bitch is probably putting out a bounty on my head as we speak and I know they won't just shoot me on sight either. Luigi still wants to have his way with me then he'll kill me and Pavi will take my face for himself."

"What I don't understand is why did they send the GENterns after you instead of doing the job themselves?"

"Like you said, Amber's not stupid. Besides, she knows she's too recognizable no matter how many surgeries she has. Better to send some lackeys than to do it herself. That's how the mafias did it in the old days." Vlad sighed, knowing that I was right and that we couldn't do anything else tonight.

"You should get some sleep so that you can start healing. Unfortunately, we don't have any painkillers and I'm sure as hell not giving you any zydrate."

"Wouldn't dream of it, honey. Wouldn't dream of it."

"I'm gonna go do some late night harvesting, but I'll make sure the place is secure before I go. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Just be careful."

"I will, Lily. I will." He gave me a heated, but quick kiss before retrieving his gear and going out the back door like a shadow in the night. I yawned and quickly fell asleep, being careful not to lie on my left side.


	11. Reprimand and New Plans

**Chapter Eleven – Reprimand and New Plans**

"Argh! How stupid can you GENterns be! You had them both right there and you fucking blew it!" Amber was absolutely livid and she had every reason to be. The four GENterns that she'd sent out were back in her office with two of them passed out from Zydrate doses and the others listening to her rants. The bleach-blonde attempted to protest, but her boss backhanded her so hard that she hit the floor with enough force to be knocked out. "Don't you ever interrupt me, Stephanie!" she shrieked and turned to the last one standing. "Care to explain, Julia!" The lackey with yellow-and-black hair hesitated for a nanosecond before speaking in a frightened voice while rubbing the side of her head that had been punched earlier.

"W-we were bl-blending in with the other a-addicts when we saw _Her_ and she called out for another client and we went up to her. We crowded around and-"

"You did WHAT!" Luigi screeched before his sister could. The woman still standing cowered as he drew his knife and waved it in her face while the blonde on the floor was just coming to. "Are you all really that brain dead! Never ever give yourselves away by surrounding your target. You either play it incognito or you kill them as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Like me." His voice got dangerously low as he dragged the blade from her throat to her breasts, creating a thin line of blood in its wake and making her whimper in fear.

"Now, now brother. Don't-a scare her." Pavi moved from the chair he was seated in and put a protective arm around Julia, who damn near melted into him as he stroked her cheek, more than likely planning to steal her face later. Stephanie then regained consciousness and stood up, just to be glared at by her boss's new pink-and-silver eyes. It didn't last long as the two dosed GENterns started to stir out of their high and move around to reorient themselves.

"Where are we? What happened?" Luigi rolled his eyes and before anyone could blink, he stabbed the short-haired brunette in the abdomen and watched with a sadistic grin as she bled out in agony. Julia hid her face in Pavi's shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her as if for protection. Amber groaned in aggravation and pinched the bridge of her newest nose. Her brothers could be such block-headed dumb asses! The last GENtern came back to her senses just in time to see the other bleeding to death and jumped up to get away from the quickly spreading puddle of red liquid.

"Don't worry, Angel. You're still useful to us, despite the fact that you all blew your mission, as simple as it was," Amber's voice was reassuring, but something menacing was lacing it and Angel was scared to know what. She pulled nervously on her pink/purple braid that hung over her right shoulder to her ribs and her brown eyes glanced over at Julia with Pavi and then to Luigi still holding his knife. "Don't worry; I'm not going to have any of you repoed. Your 'colleague' was just an example of what can happen when things get fucked up." She looked over at Luigi, who put his toy away and then at Pavi, who was practically screwing Julia right there in her office. "Pavi! Take it to your own office, will you!" Amber yelled at him, which he obliged with a sinister grin. After he left, she moved slyly towards Angel and ran a perfectly manicured hand over the terrified girl's smooth cheek, down her neck and pausing at her collarbone. Flickering her gaze to her older brother, she said, "Luigi, take Stephanie to your room and have some fun, but be nice to her," and by nice she meant do what you want but don't kill her. The oldest Largo grinned and escorted the absolutely terrified woman out of the CEO's office, so now it was just Amber and Angel, who still looked scared out of her mind.

Focusing her new eyes back on her "subject," the older woman traced the other's collarbone slowly then moved towards her chest, smiling in satisfaction as she heard a small moan escape her lips.

"Like I told you before, Angel, we're not going to do anything to you. I just happen to be feeling generous, despite your shortcomings on this latest assignment, and am willing to give you three another chance if _you_ don't disappoint me." She had placed a particular emphasis on the word _you_ as she slipped a slender finger across Angel's breast and held it there. As arousing as it was, the young-looking GENtern was still incredibly nervous as to where all this was going, but she had a pretty solid idea. Placing her remaining fingers on the sensitive skin, Amber placed her other hand on the girl's hip and started tracing circles lazily.

"I think I know something you can do for me, but let us take it elsewhere." Masking her obvious arousal, Angel followed her boss out of the large office to the elevator where Amber pushed the button for three floors down and while the ride was a short one, Angel felt as though those pink-and-silver eyes were examining every inch of her and she tried not to let her nervousness or excitement show because she now knew what was coming. The doors then opened and the young woman followed her boss to a door that was halfway down the long hallway and when the door was opened, it revealed an extremely luxurious bedroom suite, which obviously had to be Amber's room. It was well furnished with a combination of dark stained oak, crimson velvet, and black leather, while the huge king-sized bed was the centerpiece of it all.

Angel was shocked by how elegant the room was and it wasn't until the door was shut and locked behind her that she knew for sure what was going to happen, and she also realized that she _wanted_ it to happen.

"Lovely, isn't it?" Amber asked her while walking past and sliding a hand across the back of the GENtern's neck, making her shiver.

"Yes it is, ma'am." Angel wasn't only referring to the room but had her eyes on Amber's ass as well. She never thought the biggest bitch she'd ever known could be so damn sexy.

"You can come here you know. I don't bite. Well, not hard anyway." Angel snapped out of her daze and walked slowly over to Amber while lifting her green-and-black tank top over her head to show off her crème colored bra. When she was close enough, Amber grabbed Angel's arm and pulled her to her and roughly began kissing her lips then neck and chest while yanking down her green miniskirt, making the other moan loudly. Now in just her underwear, Angel made short work of Amber's black blouse and purple skirt, only to uncover a purple silk underwear set that just seemed to accent her white skin even more.

"Turn around," Angel said in a slightly commanding tone. Amber obeyed and the GENtern quickly undid the bra and slowly slid the panties down the smooth, fake tanned legs, and without hesitation, started to stroke Amber's dripping wet core, making her moan with pleasure. Caressing the perfectly sculpted breasts, 'I wonder how many surgeries those took,' Angel thought to herself, Amber screamed in ecstasy as Angel slid two slender fingers up inside her and started thrusting wildly until she felt the CEO's walls clenched around her fingers and become even wetter than before.

Moving her fingers out and licking the sweet liquid off of them, Angel kept one arm around Amber's waist to keep her from collapsing from her orgasm. After catching her breath and regaining her composure, Amber turned and kissed Angel on the lips with a fiery passion. After they disengaged, Amber said,

"I'll definitely say that you don't disappoint, Angel, so this is what I want you to do." She walked to her closet and pulled out some new clothes while Angel was putting her scalpel slut attire back on. The lackey then sat down on one of the black leather coaches and watched her boss get dressed in tight fitting jeans, a form fitting magenta shirt and magenta heels. As she fiddled with her hair, Amber continued,

"We're going to get you, Julia, and Stephanie to the surGENS and change your appearances so you won't be recognized by anyone, and this time, DON'T, I repeat, DON'T surround Bones like you idiots did the last time. You nearly got killed, although I usually wouldn't be concerned since GENterns are about as expendable as GENcops, but you all got closer to solving my problem than anyone else has." She paused to put some clips in her long hair then finished,

"I need you specifically to distract Graverobber with sex for Zydrate while Stephanie corners Bones with the 'need' for a hit and Julia stands guard, so to speak. However, I want them both captured this time instead of just trying to kill her. She could be useful to me in finding Shilo Wallace since Graverobber says he doesn't know where she is." Angel nodded in affirmation and Amber walked over to her and gave her another fiery kiss. "Don't worry about getting hurt. I'll have Luigi keep a squad of GENcops on standby to move in if necessary." She took her hand and helped her up. "Now, let's round up your 'partners' and get you to the surGENS."


	12. Harvesting, Singing, and Being Watched

****A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. My brain has not been able to focus on writing much lately and I didn't want this to turn out the wrong way. Also, big, big thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this so far. It keeps me going. ****

******Chapter Twelve - Harvesting, Singing, and Being Watched  
><strong>****

Graverobber dug into his harvesting kit and pulled out a fresh syringe while keeping a trained eye out for GENcops and other robbers. This cemetery was one of his old haunts and only had what he'd dubbed "pit graves," so it wasn't watched as much as the larger ones, but one could never be too careful. That thought kept playing over in his head as he kept thinking about what had happened to Bones and was getting angrier with himself each time. 'I should've kept a closer eye on her.' He shook his head and practically shoved the needle into the corpse's nose, damn near breaking its brittle neck in the process. The blue liquid didn't look bright and he suspected that this cadaver had been dead for at least a year, maybe two or three. Still, it was Zydrate and he could sell it for at least a couple of credits; five per hit at the most, and that depended on the dosage rate. It always did. Capping the vial and putting it on his belt, he stuffed the empty corpse into the pit with the others, collected his gear, and carefully walked out of the cemetery to go hit up another one. As he walked, he sang to himself,

_"__So__ why __care __for __these __petty __obsessions?__Your__ designer __heart __still __beats __with__ common__ blood.__" _The people who were walking the street at this hour didn't even give him a second glance, despite his appearance. He guessed that they thought it was all surgically enhanced, which was far from true. He was all man and all natural at that. He shoved his suddenly cold hands into his pockets and continued to sing.

_"__And__ what __if __you__ could __have__… __genetic __perfection?__Would__ you __change __who __you __are, __if __you __could?__"_ Before he could belt out the next line, he thought he heard someone following him and whipped around to see nothing, but a group of socialites dressed for a night on the town. "I could've sworn that…" His sharp eyes looked in all directions before concluding that it had just been his stressed nerves and moved on his way.

_"__Cuz __it__'__s __quick!__ It__'__s __clean, __and __it__'__s __pure.__"_ Another graveyard came into sight almost abruptly and he grinned at seeing it was one of the larger ones near the edge of the southern end of the island and it was completely unguarded. That wasn't unusual, especially down here since most of these graveyards were some of the first to be filled up at the beginning of the epidemic. However, the occasional freshly repoed corpse was thrown into them and it looked as though he was in luck tonight. There had to be at least ten in a pile in one of the middle rows and he hopped the small wrought iron fence with ease. Landing in a crouch, he scanned for cops and other robbers before making a beeline for the fresh pile of money.

_"__It __could __change__ your __life__… __rest __assured.__"_ He prepared ten vials for extraction as he mind wandered again, but this time, to Shilo Wallace. He recalled with a sad smile the night he'd met her in the graveyard. She was so small, so fragile, and so scared, but also very curious. The way she had looked at him with that innocent fascination that was so rare in this godforsaken place.

_"__It__'__s __the __21__st __century__… __cure!__"_ As he sang that particular line he could almost hear the Kid as she had followed him that night.

_"__This __cannot __be __happening!__"_ As he thought back to the past, he thought he did actually hear that strong, singing voice and threw a quick look over his shoulder, but again seeing nothing there except for a few brittle leaves moving in the cold breeze.

"I must be losing what I've got left of my mind," he said under his breath as he filled the first vial almost unconsciously and placed it on his belt. "I think it's time I got my ass back home." Quickly but efficiently filling the remaining vials and checking to make sure all was clear, Graverobber made a quick exit from the southern cemetery to go back home, singing again to himself. _"__Goth__ opera.__Blood __saga.__"_ He ducked into an open alley to avoid being seen by a patrol car that was coasting by on a nightly ride, but didn't even seem to notice him. Poking his brightly colored head out to double-check that all was clear, he strolled along the beaten path and picked up his song again. _"__Sometimes __I __wonder __how __we __ever __got __here.__ Old __grudges. __Scorned __lovers. __Sometimes__ I __wonder __why __we __all __don__'__t __move __on!__" _As he walked, the houses became less opulent and the street itself appeared to be in a coma with how quiet everything was. Not like there was much left for life on the island, but there should've at least been a cricket or three chirping away in the night.

"Sometimes this place is almost too creepy for my tastes," he muttered as the familiar neighborhood came into view. _"__Cuz __we __all __end __up __in __a __tiny __pine __box. __A __mighty __small __drop __in __a __mighty __dark __plot, __and __the __mighty __fine __print, __hastens __the __trip __to __our __epilogue.__"_ Spotting his place, Graves cut off his song and scanned the area to make sure that he was alone, and although he didn't see anyone, he felt as though someone was watching him. Just to kill the feeling, he strolled casually past his house and continued up the cobblestone street, all the while keeping his eyes and ears open for anything out of place.

_"__But __the __little __girl __fled __and __the __king __is __dead, __and __the __castle __is __left __for __the __taking. __But __GeneCo __may __survive __if __it __undergoes __surgery__… __surgery.__"_ He walked past the now-closed shops that he and Bones went to the day before and got about a block away before turning a 180 on his heel and spotting a shadow darting down a darkened pathway.

"Gotcha," he licked his lips and sprinted after whoever it was that had the guts to follow him from the graveyard. It wasn't a GENcop or a Repo Man; they can never wait to take down a robber/dealer, and he highly doubted that the Largo brothers would run from him. It had to be a rival dealer, a scalpel/addict, or just some random person following the wrong man.

Whoever it was knew how to run, not to mention navigate these gritty streets. Graverobber almost lost them a few times had it not been for the person's pounding footsteps. Just as he was getting aggravated with this cat-and-mouse game, he heard a stumble and a yelp, indicating that the "mouse" had tripped and fell. He slowed his pace so he wouldn't trip himself and put on his most devious smirk so as to antagonize this unlucky stalker. A flickering shop light was the only thing penetrating the darkness on the back street and when the seasoned robber saw who was on the ground, his smirk dropped to shock. Kneeling down, he put a cold hand on the person's shoulder,

"Kid, is that you?"

"Long time, no see, Graves." Shilo's voice was unmistakable and she rolled over to a sitting position so she could look him in the eyes. He had to take half a step back when he saw her for the first time in two years: Her hair had grown back naturally and hung to her waist; her skin was no longer a sickly pale tone, but her large brown eyes still had their innocent spark.

"Wow, Kid. Nice to see you've finally grown up," he held out a hand to help her up, which she took wit enthusiasm. "Just tell me something: Why the hell were you following me and why did you run?" Shilo looked at the ground as her cheeks gained a red hue and she slipped her hand from his, which he didn't protest.

"I wanted to see you and Bones again, but I didn't want anyone else to know I was here, especially since Amber probably put a price on my head." She pulled up her leather jacket collar as a cold wind whipped through the empty street. "When you turned around, I ran because I knew you would follow me and I didn't want anyone to see or hear us talking," she gave a short laugh. "You might say I staged the whole thing." Graverobber couldn't say he was surprised, but he was definitely impressed, although he supposed that her being the daughter of the former top Repo Man had to have taught her a thing or two.

"Well Kid, as glad as I am to see you and to know that you're still alive, I've gotta get back to Bones. She had a bad encounter with a GENtern disguised as a scalpel slut." The nineteen-year-old's jaw dropped in shock and surprise at what he told her. From what she knew about Bones, the woman was very sharp and wouldn't fall for such a transparent ploy.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Despite losing her father and godmother in one bloody swoop, Shilo was still willing to put a friend before herself. Graves adjusted the strap of his knapsack.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, Kid: Stay out of the Largo's way." He turned to leave, but added one more thing. "However, if you could do a favor for me: Keep an eye on Bones when she's harvesting. I don't want anything else to happen to her and seeing as how you can follow me, you shouldn't have any problems with her." Shilo nodded and gave him a glowing smile.

"No problem Graves. I'll see you around." They disappeared in opposite directions and before emerging, Graves glanced around to make sure that nobody saw him and he slipped off into the rapidly dwindling night.

As the first light of the day was beginning to show, he slipped through the door of his house with hardly a sound and kicked off his boots. Moving quietly, he went to the bedroom to check on Bones, who was still asleep, but she didn't appear to be sleeping very well. She was thrashing wildly and when he got close to her, he could feel how much heat she was giving off, indicating she had a fever.

"Shit. It's gotta be from that scalpel slice," he went to get a cold cloth for her forehead. "I'll kill that GENtern if I ever see her again," he growled as he laid the wet cloth on Lilith's sweating skin. She groaned loudly and tried to twist away from him, but he held her firmly in place by her arm, granted he found it hard to do so by how hot her skin was. "Come on, Lily. Don't you go dying on me." He gently kissed her forehead, noting that she'd cooled down a bit and had stopped thrashing. Relieved that she was going to be okay, Vladimir lay next to her as the day was beginning.

**I really wanted to bring Shilo into this more and was having difficulty on figuring that out, so I hope it doesn't blow up in my face. As always, R&R!**


	13. Repossession and Gossip

**A/N: Quick update this time but kind of a short chapter. Wanted to do something a little more in-depth with the new Repo man. Chapter contains language and mild violence.  
><strong>

**Chapter Thirteen – Repossession and Gossip**

James felt the body under him go still as he cut out the lungs and colon that were stamped for repossession. As he packaged the organs that would get reprocessed to go to someone else, he gave a sideways glace at the corpse that was a young woman; maybe 22 and used two fingers to close her eyes. That was the one thing he hated about this job: the eyes of the dead and dying. He may have been as ruthless as Nathan Wallace was, but that didn't mean he was heartless, like his boss always appeared to be. Focusing back on the job, James Serano secured his bio-hazard parcel, sheathed his tools, tipped the brim of his hat to the corpse, and vanished into the shadows without a sound. As always, he got the job done quick but effectively.

On his way back to GeneCo Tower to drop off the delivery and pick up the next job, the Repo man picked up on a smattering of a conversation off to his right and looked to see a group of addicts talking rather excitedly. They all had some glitter in their eyes and not the kind one got while rolling on Z; more like the kind when you had some juicy gossip you'd just heard. Knowing that he had some time before he was expected back, Serano kept to the shadows as the black leather he wore made it easy, turned off the helmet's LED lights and listened intently. When focused correctly, the speakers inside the helmet amplified the sounds of just about anything.

"… she got stabbed by a GENtern and can't deal anymore."

"No fucking way, man! She was my best supplier! Now what am I gonna do?" The legal assassin guessed they were talking about Bones. News spread like the Black Plague on this island.

"I heard that Graverobber's doin' it all by himself and he's fuckin' Amber Sweet again to save his ass." That sure as hell wasn't true.

"Nah, I heard that he's with that Wallace kid from the Opera. Rumor has it that she's around and is looking to take over GeneCo." Serano listened closer. If this one was true and he brought Shilo Wallace in along with Bones _and_ Graverobber, he'd be set for life, plus some a thousand times over.

"Shit, that kid ain't been around since the Opera and I sure as hell don't blame her after what her father did to her."

"Fuck this! Where the hell's Graverobber? I want my hit!"

"Damn, Jack. For a grown man, you sure do whine a lot."

"Fuck you, Gina! You're no better when you want one!"

"Oh, bitch, bitch, bitch. You two sound like spoiled kids."

"Bite me, Ricky!" Serano was getting bored by now since the gossip had turned to bickering, which he obviously couldn't use and was about to make a stealthy exit when:

"Well, I heard that not only is the Wallace kid back, but she watches Bones while she harvests and Graverobber put her up to it too!" There was silence for a few moments as this latest piece of gossip sunk in.

"You're full of it, Daisy! How in the world do you know that?"

"Let's just say that I have sources that you don't, Ricky. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta find a hit for some surgery."

As the group dispersed, the Repo man flicked on his goggles and zeroed in on the one called Daisy. She was around 5'6 with the electric blue heels she was wearing, along with tight red leather pants and a purple-and-yellow striped tank top. 'Damn. Scalpel sluts have absolutely _no_ fashion sense.' James thought to himself. At least he knew how to coordinate his wardrobe. Her hair was half-black and half-white, cut short and spiked, meaning he would have to grab her by the neck. He usually preferred to catch females by the hair since it hurt to the point where they wouldn't squirm, but improvisation was one of his better skills.

Quickly making a decision, the slasher-by-trade silently followed Daisy to a darkened section of the street and without a thought, grabbed the back of her neck in a tight grip and karate chopped the necessary pressure point before she could utter a sound. James grinned to himself as he slung her effortlessly over his shoulder, and using one hand to hold her there and carrying the recently repossessed organs in his other, he strolled back to the tower. Amber might be pissed that he was late, but he now had a better lead for her: one that was damn near guaranteed to pay off in more ways than one.


	14. Twilight Awakening

**A/N: Just seem to be cranking out the updates as of late, but don't know how long it's going to last. Chapter contains language and sexual situations.  
><strong>

**Chapter Fourteen – Twilight Awakening**

I opened my eyes and suddenly wished I hadn't. My vision was an absolute blur and my head was pounding like it'd just been run over by a dump truck. Closing my eyes, I put a hand to my forehead and just lay still for a few moments, trying to get the pain to subside. When it did, I slowly opened my eyes and saw that everything was in sharp focus but somewhat dark. It only took me a minute to realize that the sun was going down, which meant that it was almost harvest time. I groaned as I carefully sat up, be extra careful not to rip the stitches open and I must've made an extremely audible noise because Vlad came running into the room faster than I could blink.

"I was wondering when you were gonna wake up, Lily," he said as he sat on the bed. "You've been asleep damn near two days." My eyes went wide at what he told me, but before I could say anything, he continued, "You had a really high fever last night. I though you were gonna die." He then put a protective arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his strong body gently.

"Fucking GENterns. Fucking Largos," I put my head in my hands and felt the tears start flowing. "What the fuck do we have to do to get a break?" I practically screamed and the tears continued to fall. Vlad looked alarmed since in the four years he'd known me, he'd never seen me cry. Hell, I didn't even cry when Mortis died, but this was the final nail in the coffin as far as I was concerned. I stood up abruptly and started to get dressed, but Vlad stopped me before I could get my socks on.

"Whoa… I know that look," he stood in front of me. "You're not going to GeneCo Tower to confront the Largos. They'll kill you on sight or worse, the brothers'll get a hold of you." I scoffed and went to move past him, but his larger frame blocked my way. I glared at him and he gave me the same stare right back. "I told you before," his voice became low and dangerous, just like it had when we first met. "I'm not losing you to those bastards if it's the last thing I do, and you're NOT going to walk into Amber Sweet's office just because you're sick of running from her and her lackeys," his voice became normal once again. "Now, get dressed. You're going harvesting and that's it!" I stood there dumbfounded for a few minutes, trying to process what just happened when he spoke again,

"So, are you gonna get dressed or go robbing in your underwear?" He gave me an appreciative glance and smirked. "Sexy but not exactly tactical." I couldn't help but smile and laugh at him. The man always knew how to diffuse my anger while giving me a compliment, only one of the many reasons why I was so attracted to him. Smiling all the way, I cautiously put on my tight dark blue jeans, form-fitting black T-shirt, black jump boots, and finished it with my vinyl coat. I walked into the kitchen with my gear slung over my right shoulder to see Graves devouring a sandwich and his make-up already on.

"Does this look more like a robbing get-up to you, Vlad?" I gestured to my selection as his blue eyes roamed my figure and I rolled my green orbs playfully. He finished his snack, stepped over my way, and gave me a hug. I squeezed him back and when we disengaged, he gave me a gentle kiss and said,

"Be careful tonight, Lily," he picked up his own gear off the table. "When you're done harvesting, meet me in the alley where we first met." I nodded and watched him go out the back first, waited for five minutes then made my own exit. Locking the door behind me, I took note of how black the night was, which would make it easier to hide from the graveyard patrols. Sticking to the shadows like always, I went a little further out than I usually did because the cemeteries towards the south weren't as heavily guarded, if at all. The Z may not have been the best quality, but with me having stitches in my back, I had to take extra precautions. Checking the area for GENcops and rival graverobbers, I maneuvered my way through the fence's broken bars, prepped my vials, and got to work.

* * *

><p>Securing the last vial on my belt, I packed up my supplies, scanned the vicinity for GeneCo drones, and made my way to the alley where Graverobber and I first met. I made sure to avoid Addicts Alley, Crucifixus Corner, and any other spot where I could possibly be recognized, which meant taking the long way around the southern edge of the island. While keeping my sense fully alert, I periodically checked my supply that ranged from very dull to extremely bright, but I suddenly got the nagging feeling that someone was following me. It had to be just my nerves because I knew for a fact that no one came down here for anything because of all the bodies from the epidemic. Still, I couldn't shake the notion that someone was there, but when I turned around, nothing was there except the wind and the waves. I shook it off and forced myself to hustle to meet Vlad.<p>

* * *

><p>I waited for a "body" truck to rumble by then darted across the street to the always-dark alley and concealed myself into the blackness where I felt two familiar, muscular arms slide around my waist.<p>

"I was wondering when you were gonna get here, Bones," he kissed my neck, making me melt into him. His hands moved below my belt and I had to bite back a moan. "I thought I might have to come looking for you, my love." His lips then assaulted my neck as he unbuckled my belt, being careful not to toss it off in our current moment of desire. I slipped my hand into his hair and licked his earlobe while he slipped his hand into my jeans and began caressing me slowly. That caused me to bite his neck to keep from crying out in pleasure as he gave me one orgasm after another that sent my mind reeling.

After one more that almost made me collapse, Vlad slowly removed his hand and licked my juices off his fingers, all the while with a devious smirk. As I buckled my belt, I decided to return the favor, spun on him, and kissed him hard while unzipping his leather pants. I could feel him moan into my mouth as I stroked him until he let loose so hard that he released my lips and bit my neck while growling fiercely and drawing blood. When he was done, Vlad let go of my neck, zipped his pants back up, and gave me a bloody kiss with a smirk.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Bonesy." Shouldering his gear along with my vials, he made his usual stealthy exit to the Zydrate Support Network. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I scoped the vicinity for trouble then made my way home to get something to eat and relax for the rest of the night.

**A/N: I know I had Graves ask Shilo to follow Bones while she went harvesting, but I didn't want Bones to know that just yet.**


	15. Back to the Bricks and Grime

**A/N: Yet another update. I'm just blazing through this one. R&R!  
><strong>

**Chapter Fifteen – Back to the Bricks and Grime**

_One week later…_

I was finally able to get my stitches removed a week and a half after I got sliced and, along with a nice scar above my kidney, I still wasn't allowed to deal. Whenever I'd try, Vlad was always there to give me a swat on the ass and send me back to the house. I would begrudgingly oblige, but not before I made sure that he was all right. With me out of commission, it took him twice as long to sell everything we'd collected, so he wasn't getting back until damn near dawn, but hw always came back safe. However, when I'd go out to harvest, I always felt like someone was following me and keeping watch, but I kept brushing it off as heightened paranoia from the GENtern stabbing me. I swore to myself that I'd kill that bitch if I ever saw her again, but with the way GeneCo operated, they'd either have Luigi kill her or have her appearance changed to escape easy recognition. That was one of the many things I hated about that company: a few fucking surgeries and you'd be a whole new person. That is, until you got put on the Repo list. For some twisted reason, that thought made me smile while I went about my graverobbing, and I had a feeling that the harvest was going to be particularly bountiful tonight.

* * *

><p>My hunch was correct, especially this time around. I'd had hit up five cemeteries and had filled every vial I'd ad with me, which was at least sixty! While thinking that Vlad had done just as well where he was, I loaded every available slot on my belt as well as my messenger bag, and moved confidently to our meeting place so that he could sell and I could go home, as much as I didn't want to. However, when I got there, he was standing in damn near plain sight with his trademark smirk planted on his white face. I glanced in both directions before going up to him.<p>

"You wanna tell me why you're standing where anyone can see you?" His smirk just got more devious and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Let's just say that I'm feeling bold tonight," he stepped closer to me. "How are you doing since you've been out of the game?"

"Hell Graves, you know damn well how I've been doing. I've been bored out of my fucking mind!" I couldn't believe he was asking me this and I was about to say something else when he grabbed my chin and forced his lips over mine. I didn't fight it as I kissed him back just as hard and after we came up for air, he put his calloused hands on my shoulders and started massaging them lightly. He then moved one hand down my left side, making me shudder with excitement, and lifted my shirt to look at my scar then said,

"I'd say you're ready to go back to the Alley and start selling again, Bonesy," I was so shocked at that that it took a moment for me to process it and I didn't even care that he used my much-hated nickname.

"Well it's about damn time, Graverobber," I put a hand on my hip. "I've been ready for the past week."

"I know you were, but I had to be sure. Didn't want that wound opening up again." He gave me another kiss and my ass a squeeze. "Go home and change. I'll see you at the ZSN." With a kiss blown my way, he was off in one direction and I was off in another, excited that I could start pulling my weight again.

* * *

><p>The information that James Serano had gotten out of Daisy had made the Largos happy in more ways than one: Amber could now get rid of the two women that had been a thorn in her side; Pavi would get the new face that he'd been pining for, but Luigi first got a new plaything for at least a couple hours. When he was done with the scalpel slut, who was somewhat still alive enough to talk and stand up, she gave Amber the information that she had then the CEO let the Repo Man take all of her GeneCo stamped organs, which was almost all of them. It wasn't that she was on the list: Amber just wanted to give her best employee something fun to do. As the legal assassin carried Daisy to his lab kicking and screaming, Pavi, excited to get his new face soon, call in the three GENterns that were supposed to set up Bones and Graverobber, and hopefully, Shilo Wallace.<p>

"I see the surGENS have outdone themselves this time," Amber appraised, leaning back in her chair as the three lackeys entered her office. Stephanie's bleach-blonde hair was now five shades of green and hung straight to her waist, and her blue eyes were changed to black and almond-shaped. Her breasts and hips were also larger while her waist was much more shapely, making even Luigi look her over more than once. Julia's black-and-yellow straight hair had been replaced with silvery/gray braids that were twined into a single, larger braid and her once-vibrant green eyes were completely colorless but far from empty. Her arms and legs were also more muscular than before and her fingers were more slender. Angel's pink/purple braid had been sliced off; her hair spiked up and was now half-black, half-copper. Her brown eyes had been lightened to a golden-yellow that changed to different shades, and her whole upper torso was filled out, especially her chest.

"Very-a impressive," Pavi circled all three of them and was getting more turned on by the minute. "The-a surGENS have-a created living artworks." Even his brother had to nod in approval while their sister leaned forward and placed her elbows on her desk.

"Now, remember what we talked about," the three nodded. "Luigi, is the squad I requested in place?" The maniac held up his wrist-phone.

"All I gotta do is give 'em the word."

"Pavi, is the interrogation room set up?" The vain man just gave a thumbs-up and a grin. Amber smiled; she was actually impressed with her siblings.

"You have your orders, GENterns." The altered women turned as one, walked out and into the streets to get to the Zydrate Support Network before their targets did.


	16. A Lost Love and an Old Face

**A/N: Another update so quickly, granted I had this chapter written out way in advance. It just seemed like it fit somewhere later in the plot. Contains violence and language.  
><strong>

**Chapter Sixteen – A Lost Love and an Old Face**

"So, what the fuck do we do now? I don't think we've been this fucked before." I was referring to the fact that we were absolutely surrounded by GENcops at a dead-end alley with no else but me and Graves standing back-to-back. All the drones were packing a nightstick, a high-voltage tazer, or some kind of gun and were a crew of at least thirty strong. No doubt sent out by the fucking Largos to spring us while we were dealing. I was left to wonder as to why they didn't shoot us on sight.

"I'd have to agree with you, Sugar," Graves said to me over his shoulder. "We are definitely fucked, being that we're cornered like rats and loaded with Z." He looked around the circle of cops and although I couldn't see it, I knew he was still wearing his smirk despite our situation.

"We obviously can't run and this wall's too high for us to scale, so looks like we'll have to scrap." Being seasoned robbers, we knew how to fight when it was needed, and as both of us settled into a fighting stance, I looked at him over my shoulder and smirked, "Just promise you won't harvest me if I get pummeled."

"I won't if you won't do it to me."

"Deal Graves," and we launched ourselves head-on, which the GENcops were not expecting. I guess they were used to people just running from them. I managed to knock two out with a double-fist to the head before they could process what was going on and they dropped like junkies. Three attempted to gang up on me, but I dove forward at one, shattering his knees with a solid kick while I heard the other two crash into each other full tilt behind me. All three dropped to the wet ground as I managed to just dodge a tazer shot to the ribs and lashed back with a right hook to the cop's throat, knocking him out. I spared a second to see how Graves was faring and was surprised to see that they weren't attacking him like they were me. I'd soon regret my lapse in concentration as I felt the butt of a gun smash me in the skull, but I wasn't gonna let that slow me down. I laid a roundhouse kick to the drone's head, but got a jab in the ribs for it that felt like it broke at least three of them. Luckily, I didn't get a punctured lung despite the fact that it hurt like fucking hell, but I started getting pummeled as I heard Vlad shout my name. From what little I could see, he was being swarmed by the remaining guards and getting cuffed. The last thing I saw were his beautiful blue eyes drop a few tears as I fell silently to the wet concrete and lay still…

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes and immediately shut them; the light was so damn bright. I couldn't decipher if I was in Heaven or Hell; probably Hell for all the graverobbing I'd done, but this didn't feel like all the stories and myths I'd heard. It was warm, not hot; I was dry, not sweating my ass off, and then there was the pain in my ribs and skull. Fuck, I was in pain all over, but it didn't feel like torture. More like human pain. That's when it hit me like a dump truck. I wasn't dead. I pinched myself in the arm and I felt it. I wasn't dead but neither was I in the alley where I'd gotten my GeneCo beating. That's when I remembered:<p>

"Graves!" I tried to sit up, but the excruciating pain in my side forced me back down and that was when I felt the soft mattress underneath me. I heard a door open and footsteps but couldn't see that well since my eyes hadn't adjusted quite yet.

"Easy, Bones. You're hurt pretty bad, but nothing fatal. I'm surprised you took that beating and lived to tell about it, but if your reputation's anything like I've heard, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." I knew that voice, but my brain couldn't process it, or believe it, whichever. As I finally brought my eyes into focus, I saw her and she was smiling. That no-longer-so-pale skin, that long black hair, and those large brown eyes I'd know anywhere, but I still couldn't believe it.

"Hey Kid. How's it going?" I managed to get out, even though it hurt like hell to talk. My head throbbed with every syllable and I winced at the oncoming migraine. Shilo laughed.

"I thought only Graverobber called me that."

"When you've been around him as long as I have, he tends to rub off on you.' Lances of pain shot up my left side and it must've shown because Shilo moved toward me and gently touched my tender ribs. She seemed to be examining them and that was when I noticed that I was wearing an over-sized shirt and a pair of sweats that weren't mine.

"You've got four bruised ribs and a bump on the back of the head, but nothing too major," she whistled. "I guess all you graverobbers gotta be tough to do what you do." I had to smile at that despite how shitty I felt.

"Thanks Shilo. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I just hope I didn't rip open the latest slice in my side." I rolled over onto my right side, albeit painfully, so she could look at it.

"Nope, although it looks like you broke it open a little. I could bandage it up if you want."

"If you don't mind. You're already putting your neck on the line for me since I'm officially a fugitive. No doubt that psycho Amber has a bounty on my head." Shilo gently rolled me onto my stomach and I felt a sticky fabric cover the bleeding cut. "Where are my clothes?" I asked, pointing out the fact that these obviously weren't what I went dealing in.

"They're in the dryer now. I washed them for you since they were pretty dirty." I knew she wasn't exaggerating by any means, which made me wonder about all the Zydrate I'd harvested earlier that night, but the Kid seemed to have taken care of that. I watched as she brought me messenger bag over to me and I saw that everything was in it, including my little glass vials. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Shilo. Thanks again for everything. For a second there, I thought the GENdrones had gotten those little babies, but they seemed to be more interested in Graverobber himself than what we had on us. That reminds me: I gotta go find him." I managed to sit up but couldn't go any further because she held me fast.

"You're not going anywhere with the way you are right now." She said firmly.

"Oh yes I am! I've gotta pay a certain plastic bitch scalpel slut a visit and get my man back. Hecate only knows what she's doing with him." I shuddered and seethed at the thought of Amber touching Vlad and it just motivated me even more. Shilo, however, wasn't having it and forcefully pushed me back to the mattress.

"I said you're not going anywhere and I meant it!" I was actually shocked by her strength and how commanding her voice had gotten. "You'd be no good to Graverobber dead and we both know that Amber won't kill him. She wants him all to herself like the spoiled brat that she is so you know that he's alright." I lay there fuming, but the Kid was right: I knew enough of Amber's jealousy that she'd keep Vlad as her plaything and while it bugged the fuck out of me, I couldn't do anything at the present time.

"So," I said reluctantly. "What'd we do now?" Shilo handed me a couple of capsules that looked like Vicodins, along with a glass of water.

"You are gonna take these and get some sleep so that you can start healing up. They'll put you out long enough to where I'll be getting home from work as you're waking up." I nodded, popped the pills and downed the water in one huge gulp. As I felt the effects start to put me out, I heard Shilo say, "I'll get Graverobber back for you," and I heard the door close as the darkness lulled me into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	17. Torture and Questions, GeneCo Style

**A/N: Next chapter up! Hope everyone's liking it! Contains violence and language.  
><strong>

**Chapter Seventeen – Torture and Questions, GeneCo Style**

Graverobber shook his head to clear it, but it just made the throbbing worse. He felt groggy and he hoped to Hell nobody had dosed him with Z. Forcing the pain to the back of his mind, he discovered that he was cuffed at the wrists and ankles while strapped to a chair. There was a table in front of him and three lights hanging above it, but other than that, the room was fairly dark.

"Fuck! I hope Bones is all right. I wonder where she is."

"That's what we were gonna ask you, Gravy." The form of Luigi Largo slid out of a dark corner, followed by his bitch of a sister and a few of the Repo Men.

"That's Graverobber to you, Looney." Aside from the obvious deep shit he was in, Graves could still make light of the situation and smirked defiantly at his captors. The comment obviously infuriated Luigi and he went to pull his knife, but Amber stopped him, shaking her head.

"We want him to talk, brother, not bleed." She put on her best fake smile and leaned across the table, partially exposing her cleavage, but Graves didn't even sneak a glance.

"Is this how you treat me now, Miss Sweet?" he asked with mock sadness. "I thought we were on better terms than this." The woman greatly suppressed the urge to slap him and smiled even wider.

"We were until you started fucking that scalpel slut of yours instead of me," her voice was low and bitter with an icy undertone. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"What can I say? She was way better in bed," he waggled his eyebrows. "And by the way, she definitely wasn't a scalpel slut." He knew he shouldn't have been shooting his mouth off with two Largos and three Repo Men in the room, but since Bones was more than likely dead, he really didn't care. Amber gestured angrily and one of the legal assassins unhooked Graves' hands, removed his gloves then slowly sliced into the left palm with a scalpel. He growled and went to swing, but one of the other murderers twisted the arm behind his back, forcing his head onto the hard table. The siblings laughed at their prisoner and he growled again like a rabid wolf. "What the fuck is so damn funny?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Amber questioned in a teasing tone.

"Fucking know what?" he asked as he clenched his injured hand into a fist. The siblings just cackled again and Amber leaned in until her lips were against his ear. He shuddered at her touch. Just having her this close made his skin crawl.

"You really wanna know, Graverobber?" she spoke in a seductive tone.

"What the fuck do you think, bitch?" he growled into the table and the slasher-by-trade twisted his arm some more, but he didn't care. He wasn't in the mood for Amber Sweet's sex games. She then straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm gonna let that 'bitch' remark slide and not have you repoed, but I'm not gonna tell you what we know."

"What's the change?" he mumbled into the cold steel. The CEO flicked a dagger gaze to the Repo Men.

"Cuff him," the killers complied. "You're gonna stay here, Graverobber, until you tell me where the Wallace kid is or until you go insane, whichever comes first."

"If I didn't go insane screwing you, I highly doubt it'll happen here," he smirked while cracking his neck and shoulders.

"You'd better watch your tongue, you piece of garbage," Luigi warned, this time drawing his knife. "Or I'll cut it out so someone else can use it."

"Shut the hell up, Luigi!" Amber shouted as she smacked her older brother.

"Why you ungrateful little whore!" He went to lunge at her, but the last Repo Man grabbed him before he could and restrained him until he calmed down. Amber turned back to Graverobber. "I'll tell you one last detail before we leave, Gravedigger-"

"Gravedigger. That's a new one." Graves interrupted with a smirk.

"Before my police brought you here, I had a surGEN give you a small dose of Zydrate. Nothing extreme, but enough to give you the cravings and withdrawals" The dealer's blue eyes went wide and his smirk was wiped from his face. This made Amber smile and Luigi actually laughed out loud. "What's the matter, Graverobber? Cat got your tongue?" Before he could get anything out, the Largos and Repo Men left the interrogation room, leaving him to stew in their words.

"Fucking bitch Amber," he mumbled to himself. He knew they more than likely had cameras in this room, so any outbursts he made he had to keep low. He knew he had to get out of there, but the options presenting themselves made him too sick to think: either tell those spoiled brats where the Kid was, or sleep with Amber for the rest of his life. If Lily was still alive, he could never face her again if he did the former or the latter. Hell, he probably wouldn't even be able to live with himself. He scoffed at the though of suicide. _That_ definitely wasn't an option. He sighed loudly and decided to sleep for at least an hour so that he could sort his thoughts out, but as he dozed off, his nap was to be anything but peaceful.

* * *

><p><em>"Who's there? Stay back!" he exclaimed in fear as he saw a light and someone coming closer.<em>

_ "Hon do you have my cure?"_

"_Kid? Is that you?" Shilo came closer to his hanging form, a blue-white light illuminating her pale face._

"_I'm here to earn my cure." Cure? What the hell was she talking about? Then the light went on in his brain as to why he was hanging upside down in the first place._

"_Your cure? Is that what this is about?" he appeared to be confused, but that was all an act. "Sorry. That fucking Amber cleaned me… out, but maybe later. I'll hook you up later. Just help me down." His head was beginning to pound from hanging upside down, but he just ignored it._

"_The drug?" she moved closer still…_

* * *

><p><em>He continued to follow her as she moved in the darkness of the moonless night. He had become intrigued by her the moment he'd followed her from the graveyard while running from the GENcops.<em>

'_I wonder what provoked her to become a dealer since surgery is obviously not the motive,' he thought to himself as he watched her flatten against a wall as a dump truck rolled past. Mimicking the movement, he waited until the vehicle rumbled by and continued his pursuit, although she seemed to suddenly disappear. Whirling around, he saw that she was behind him; only now her head was covered by a black hood that shadowed her face._

_ "Bones?" he asked timidly as her reached out to her. As he did, the wind picked up in a fierce breeze and caused the hood to drop from her face to reveal a grinning skull with dreadlocks. He felt the bile rise in his throat as the skull opened its jaw and let loose a Hellish laugh that seemed to echo…_

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch! What the fuck was that!" Graverobber nearly knocked himself over, as he was jolted out of his nightmare. He hadn't had one of those since he was a little kid when his parents were still around and his mother would hold him until he fell asleep again. Putting his past aside, he became aware of his facial muscles twitching and his skin felt like bugs were crawling on it.<p>

"Damn, the side effects must be kicking in," he looked around to see if anyone had entered the room, but all seemed still. "I just hope they don't dose me again." Just then, the door creaked open and in walked the three Largo kids along with what looked to be scalpel sluts, but as they came into the light, Graves could see that they clearly weren't under the influence of the glow. "GENterns," he snarled with rage.

"I'm surprised you recognized them," Amber leered while eying her underlings.

"There's only one I'm interested in," he snarled again, looking at the green-haired woman. Even though she had undergone massive changes, he still remembered her as the one who stabbed Bones. "You damn near killed my woman, you bitch." Stephanie just laughed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. That one mocking gesture flooded him with such rage and adrenaline that he stood up while still shackled to the chair. As he was about to lunge at the treacherous drone, Luigi whistled and four Repo Men swarmed into the room and restrained Graverobber with all the strength they had, and even still, the brothers had to step in. Pavi was holding onto the dealer's shoulders and when their eyes connected, Pavi almost let go.

"Get you hands off of me, you faceless freak!" Graverobber shouted and received a slap across the face from Luigi as Pavi let go from the insult. The blow broke his lip open and it seemed to calm him down, as he tasted the metallic liquid. Amber gestured for the assassins to let him go and they did so with some resistance.

"Well, I see that the Z has reared its ugly side," she reached across the table and wiped some of the blood off his chin, which made him growl at her touch. "Now are you gonna tell me what I wanna know?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Sweet, I don't remember the question," he smiled sarcastically. "One of the downsides to Zydrate is that you don't remember much, as you very well know."

"Shut up, asshole!" she shouted, dismissing the GENterns and Repo Men, who all retreated quickly but not before Stephanie threw a wink Graverobber's way. When they were gone, Amber let her bitchy side show. "Where the fuck is Shilo Wallace, Graverobber? I know you've been in contact with her recently, so you can't play dumb anymore." Licking the blood off his swollen lip, he just shrugged as if he didn't care.

"I don't know where you get your information from, but I told you before that I haven't seen the Kid since Mag's last opera, which is a shame cuz she'd make a great singer." He could see the rage shimmering beneath Amber's skin and her hands were clenched into fists.

"How dare you insult me like that?" she screamed, making her brothers flinch.

"Me insult you?" he laughed. "You already did that to yourself when your face fell off for the whole world to see. Not to mention, everybody knows that you can't sing to save your-" He never got to finish as the CEO lashed out like lightning across the other side of his face, causing his lip to split open again. Pavi and Luigi laughed, partly because of Graverobber's comment, and of Amber's retaliation.

"You don't know anything about me!" she shouted then lowered her voice. "Nothing at all." He smirked despite the puddle of blood his mouth was becoming.

"I know more about you than you think, Miss Sweet," he threw his hair over his shoulder with a toss of his head. "And when I get outta here, you'll be sorry that you ever fucked with me. All of you."

"Like I'm scared of a petty thief like you," Luigi taunted, drawing his knife. Besides, it's hard to do anything when you're dead." Pavi giggled, but quickly shut up when Graves shot him a death glare.

"You'll all be dead before I am. That I guarantee." The brothers laughed, but their sister remained silent. She knew what he said was true even though she denied it. Who knows what she may have told him after getting her shot of Z? She also knew that she couldn't keep him here forever but couldn't axe him either.

'Shit! Looks like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.' Amber thought to herself. She pushed the thought aside and straightened up.

"Pavi. Luigi. Let's go." She turned on her heel and walked out the door with her brothers in tow. When they were out in the hall, she addressed the surGEN standing just across the way. "Dose him," the muscular man nodded. "And make it enough to put him out." The Largos watched as the surGEN entered the interrogation room and listened as there were a few seconds of violent struggling laced with some expletives then silence.


	18. Tactics and Information

**A/N: Finally got chapter eighteen done! This one centers around Bones and Shilo. Enjoy and please, R&R!  
><strong>

**Chapter Eighteen – Tactics and Information**

The curtain of deep, black sleep lifted from my eyes and, true to form, there was Shilo just coming in the door with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a bright smile on her face.

"How you doing, Bones?" she asked while closing the door. I bit back a groan as I sat up slowly.

"A hell of a lot better than yesterday, that's for damn sure." I stretched out the kinks in my neck and back. "At least I can move now. What did you give me anyway?" She sat on the bed and gingerly touched my now-healing ribs. I squeaked at how cold her hands were and she just giggled, which made me blush.

"Just something to help you sleep and make your body work to heal your injuries faster while you were sleeping," she removed her hand. "It seems to be working quite well, although I forgot what my dad called it, but it was something he was experimenting with; probably before he became Rotti Largo's dog." She said the name with venom in her voice, but I really couldn't blame her. Although the tragedies may seem independent to a bystander (notice how I don't say innocent), GeneCo had inadvertently taken people we'd loved away from us, but I'd be damned if I was gonna let them take Vlad. Pushing my hatred to the back of my mind, I flexed my shoulders and asked,

"Think I could have my clothes back? No offense or anything, but this isn't exactly tactical." The Kid laughed.

"No, I'd imagine it wouldn't be. Here." She handed me my leather pants, black long-sleeve shirt, undergarments, and socks. "Fresh from the dryer."

"Thanks, Shilo." She then politely turned around as I stripped off the long shirt and sweatpants then carefully put my dealer's get-up on. I slipped the modified belt through the loops and attached the Zydrate gun holster to my right thigh. "Ahh, much better." Shilo turned back around and handed me my jump boots. "Thank you."

"No problem, Bones," she replied as I laced them up quickly. "So, I've been thinking about how to get Graverobber back all day and every scenario presenting itself includes a very high chance of us getting caught or being shot." I shrugged.

"I'm used to dealing with that on a daily basis, Kid, so I'm not worried about it. It's you I'm concerned about." She waved away the concern and laughed.

"No need to worry about me. I'm not afraid of the Largos. Not after what they did to my family," she clenched her hand into a fist as a single tear escaped her eye. "Besides, I owe it to Graves, given how many times he's saved my ass from GeneCo." I couldn't argue with her because I knew she was right.

"Okay. So what do you suggest we do? It's not like we can just waltz right into GeneCo Tower and get Amber to hand him over freely."

"No, she'd probably kill us first then ask questions," I had to chuckle at that despite the circumstances. "Granted, her killing me would be really bad for her public image since I could legally take the company whenever I wanted." She started pacing the length of the room with one had under her chin as I carefully eased myself onto the piano bench and proceeded to clean the graveyard dirt from under my nails.

"Hell, you'd make a better CEO than that bitch any day, Kid," she scoffed at my praise. "No, I mean it. And I'm sure the masses would agree with me." She stopped pacing for a moment.

"Yeah, but that's not exactly discrete when we've gotta do what we've gotta do. I don't want them to know I'm around just yet." She resumed her repetition and I went back to cleaning my nails until she snapped her fingers suddenly. "I've got it!" I looked up from my hands. "How well can you blend in with the scalpels and addicts if we were to go down to your dealing spot?" I gave a short laugh.

"Those hopeless souls only know me by my dreads and green eyes. If I hide both of those elements, ain't nobody gonna recognize me, even if I'm standing right in front of them."

"I can supply you with a wig, I still have some of them leftover. Think we can get to your place for the contact lenses?"

"No problem. I can get us there in fifteen minutes. Just let me grab a little extra security first," Shilo quirked an eyebrow as I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out a Glock-nine, semi-automatic pistol along with a mag. "Can't be too careful these days." I said with a grin as I loaded the gun and put the safety on. The nineteen-year-old seemed a little put off by the weapon.

"I never knew you had one of those," she remarked while putting a tight black sweater on over her T-shirt then tying her long hair into a tight bun and pulling a black ski cap over it.

"Sometimes duty calls for it," was all I said as I replaced the Z gun with the Glock. I looped my dreads into a bun and fitted one of her long, black wigs over it.

"Damn, you look different already," she gave me a smile while throwing on her leather jacket and securing her backpack.

"Just wait 'till I put the lenses in then you really won't recognize me." I threw on my vinyl coat and secured my own bag. "Ready Kid?" She opened the bedroom door and hit the lights.

"Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"What the hell do you mean you haven't seen them? I need my Z, damnit, and they had the best stuff!" I threw my voice into a whiny, valley girl high pitch, as much as I hated it, but I had to pass for an addict in the very least. After years of dealing to them, I knew how to come off as one and with Shilo's wig and some purple contacts, no one knew who I really was.<p>

"I told you, I don't know where the fuck they are!" the scalpel slut in front of me yelled with some effort. "Rumor is they both got caught by GeneCo and were harvested for everything they had," she ran a yellow-nailed hand through her black, blue-streaked hair in an agitated manner. "Now quit your damn whining and go bug someone else. You're not the only one feigning for a hit."

"Fuck you then, Kira," I snapped like a spoiled teenager. She just shook her head at me and half-walked, half-stumbled towards the wall to talk to another junkie. I tossed my _faux_ hair over my shoulder in a dramatic way, but it was only to signal to Shilo, who was hiding in the shadows, that I'd learned nothing new yet. I had quickly showed her how to use my gun while we were at my place and even though she was a bit apprehensive about it, she grasped the concept fairly quickly. Letting a defeated sigh escape my lips, I faked a junkie withdrawal stumble towards the wall opposite from Shilo and leaned on the bricks until one of my rivals strolled into the vicinity, but it wasn't who I expected.

'Where the hell is Wolf? He usually jumps at the chance to steal my clients.' I thought as I watched the peddler with dull eyes. By their movements, I could tell that the dealer was male, as almost all of them were, but I had yet to see his face since the dim light was smothered by so many shadows. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, I crawled on the dirt ground like a mangy cat hunting for a meal and acted as though I needed a hit. That was when I got a glimpse of his face. It was DJ and although he had his streaks of benevolence, he was still a nasty son of a bitch; one I'd had to scrap with on more than one occasion. That is, until he found out I was with Graverobber, who only had to put him in his place once. Throwing a quick glance and a wink Shilo's way, I hung back while DJ took care of all my clients then made my move. Loading and adjusting his Zydrate gun, he glanced down at me and said,

"What 'cha need, babe?" I knew he was eying my ass and curves, but that was to be expected considering I was wearing a tight black tank top and purple miniskirt with knee-high violet leather boots. Plastering a druggie's smile on my inky blue lips, I crawled up his side and stuck my tongue in his ear, as much as it disgusted me to do so.

"I think you know what I want, DJ," I let my voice take on a teasingly seductive tone as I heard the dial on the gun click.

"How much ya got, honey?" he asked while running a rough hand over my hips. I was going to kick myself for this one.

"Enough, plus a little extra," and I played with his belt buckle just enough to get him excited.

"I think I can provide you with what you need, sweetheart." I let out a girlish giggle and snaked my arms around his as we walked to a darkened walkway that branched off from the main alley. He tossed me against the wall and undid his pants, but before he could complete the transaction, I heard the click of a safety and his breath hitch in his throat.

"If you don't want to lose your most vital organ, I suggest you put it away." Shilo threatened as she cocked the hammer back. DJ gulped nervously and put his piece away as I pushed myself away from the wall and got real up close and personal with him.

"Well done, Kid. Now we can get down to business," I let my real voice come out and even though it was dark, I knew DJ's face was reading shock right now. "That's right, genius. You know who I am and I wanna know who the fuck ratted me out to the Largos and got Graverobber nabbed." I could almost smell his fear and hesitation. "And don't tell me you don't know because everybody tells you everything, with the exception of me and Graves."

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Just tell the squirt to back off with the gun." Shilo took the Glock away from his head, but put it on the small of his back so that he wouldn't try anything stupid.

"Don't call me squirt," she growled at him and I had to chuckle. She sure had grown up a lot.

"Out with it, DJ: Who's the rat?"

"_Rats_," he emphasized the word. "But one of them's dead for sure. Repoed, but for what, I don't know."

"Quit stalling, damnit, and tell me who!" I was agitated and was on the verge of slapping him.

"Wolf opened his mouth first. Rumor is that he was trying to save his ass from getting the repo treatment," he snickered. "It obviously didn't work since you're still here and he's not."

"Who's the other rodent?" Shilo demanded.

"One of the scalpel sluts. Daisy, I think." I raised an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see it.

"How do you know that? Scalpel sluts come and go faster than Pavi's face."

"I was finishing up one night when I saw a Repo Man carrying her over his shoulder. He didn't see me cuz I'd be dead if he did. This guy's ruthless as all hell cuz I've seen him repo someone before. He's clean, quick, and precise, like he has no soul," I think the dealer actually shuddered right then. "That was the last time I saw Daisy. I'd hate to be next on that guy's hit list."

"Which means that Daisy's pushing up daisies. Damnit!" I smashed my fist into the wall and pulled back some bloody knuckles. "I was hoping for some frustration release before hitting up GeneCo, but it looks like I'll have to save it all for the Largos."

"Now what do we do?" Shilo asked, easing up on the gun slightly.

"Looks like we gotta go in by the front door," I let out an annoyed sigh. "And here I was thinking this was gonna be easy," I gave a short laugh. "Oh well."

"So, do you still want the Z?" DJ asked, holding up the glowing blue liquid and eying me at the same time. I rolled my eyes and gave him a left hook to the jaw, successfully knocking him out.

"How's that for an answer, dumbass?" The Kid laughed at the dealer's rotten luck, but cut herself off as I started running his pockets and taking every bit of cash he had, which was a substantial amount. I frowned at the wad of money and gave him a slap in the face.

"What was that for?

"Just a little reminder about who runs this business." I stood up to leave then noticed the Zydrate gun on the ground. Grinning evilly, I scooped it up, turned the dial to ten milliliters, and shot my rival in the neck. He jumped a little then a dopey smile spread over his face. Shilo looked appalled but didn't say anything. "A little insurance policy to make sure that he forgets this whole encounter. Now let's get outta here before someone comes snooping around. We don't want you to get caught in the open." The nineteen-year-old handed my gun back to me and I holstered it as we maneuvered through the back streets back to my place.

"Time to penetrate the enemy stronghold," she said as we ducked into a graveyard to hide from a GENcop patrol car. I waited until it passed before replying,

"Damn straight, but we can't just waltz in like this." I put on a thoughtful expression as I unlocked my door and we slipped inside then a brilliant yet risky idea came to mind, but it was the only thing I could think of short of just going in, guns blazing. I looked at the late Repo man's daughter and smiled devilishly.

"What are you thinking, Bones?" she asked with some enthusiasm.

"I think it's time I dug out my Mortuary degree."


	19. Slipping Past the Net

******A/N: I think I've lost track of how much time it took me to finish this chapter, and I'm actually quite satisfied with it. I hope all of you who have been reading this so far feel the same way. Enjoy and as always, please read & review.**

**Chapter Nineteen – Slipping Past the Net**

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Shilo's voice crackled through the static filtering into the hidden communication device in my ear.

"This is the only solution I can see to this problem, or would you rather I just shoot my way in? Besides, it's about time I put this degree of mine to use." I was standing at the very back of a large group of GENtern hopefuls and blending in quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

"Point taken. I just still can't believe you're doing this."

"When you love someone, Kid, you'll do anything for them," I paused to fix my curly, blonde wig. "Even put yourself in the lion's den." After I said that, I had to think about it for a second. 'Vlad better be grateful for this one!' I smirked as I thought about the numerous ways he'd be paying me back. I quickly erased my smirk as the Largo siblings made their appearance on the quickly erected stage in front of GeneCo. With some computer altering, I was able to change my Mortuary Science degree to read a recent graduation as opposed to ten years ago, not to mention a phony name. Granted the CEO and brothers didn't know my real name, but better safe than sorry if this plan went awry.

"Welcome to-a GeneCo, ladies! Pavi announced in his high-pitched voice. "All of-a you have-a been selected as-a potential candidates for the-a position of GENtern, but-a only a handful of you-a will receive jobs." Luigi stepped up and I felt my blood start to boil, but I kept my anger in check.

"I'll be reading off this list of those chosen, so you'd all better listen up!" The whole group fell as silent as a graveyard. "Melanie Sanchez. Jamie Gray. Angela Caspian. Alexandra Norton," My head snapped up as I heard the maniac call my alias and I made my way to the front with the other newbies with a fake starry-eyed gaze in my brown eyes (I have quite a few sets of contacts, you know).

"All of you will be assigned to tasks that will be determined by your qualifications," Amber spoke in her professional ton. It made me want to cringe. "The rest of you: Better luck next year." With that, the spoiled brats left the stage as the crowd dispersed while I was led inside the tower with the rest of the new hires. They were all squealing with glee and making excited remarks, and while I was doing the same, I was also checking out the facility without attracting any unwanted attention.

"Alexandra Norton," I turned my attention to Pavi, who was eying me appreciatively and I groaned inwardly. He already had his arm around another woman, so hopefully he wouldn't try to steal my face before I could find Vlad. "You will-a be assigned to the-a morgue as-a you are a… qualified-a embalmer." I nodded in mock respect and was escorted to the elevator by two GENcops, along with three other GENtern embalmers. As we rode the car up, I surveyed the interior and I had to admire the décor, despite the fact it was the company I hated.

"Miss Sweet has you four working in close quarters with the Repo Men," one of the cops told us with a sarcastic undertone. "I hope none of you ladies are behind on your organ payments." Before my smart mouth could override my common sense, the doors opened and the cops practically shoved us out into the dimly lit hallway.

"I guess the Repo Men don't need much light since they've got them inside their heads." My mouth decided to get ahead of my brain anyway and I received a small jab in the back for it. "Okay, okay, sorry." I held up my hands in submission and they herded us down the hall until we reached a set of steel doors with a bio-hazard symbol on it. One of the drones pushed a button off to the side and the doors slid open with a _whoosh_ to reveal not only the extensive morgue but also a huge lab. If this wasn't a rescue mission, I might've been genuinely ecstatic at this opportunity.

"You three, in there. You," the guard pointed at me. "Come with us." Before I could protest, they took me a few doors down before opening one and pointing for me to go inside. Gulping nervously, I stepped into the dark room and felt around for a light switch. After being momentarily blinded, I saw that I was in a fairly spacious office and very tastefully decorated. "According to your education, you are the most qualified to head this newest team of morticians. This will be your office." The drones made their exit and I listened until I heard the elevator descend then closed the door and spoke,

"I'm in, Kid."

* * *

><p>When Graverobber woke up this time from his Zydrate nap, he was no longer in the dark interrogation room cuffed to a chair, but tied down by his limbs to what looked like a bed. His head was throbbing painfully and his skin felt as if it were on fire, not to mention his blurred vision. All of this had to be the after-effects of the high dose that that surGEN had given him, was it only a few hours ago because it felt like days, which he knew he'd have major cravings and withdrawals after this. When his eyes finally cleared, Graves was very aware of the fact that he had been stripped down to his boxers and lashed to a four-poster bed with leather straps. He let out a knowing sigh, because he knew what was going to happen next and whose bedroom this was. No sooner did the thought run through his drug-induced brain did the object of his loathing walk through the door and lock it behind her.<p>

"Amber," he growled through clenched teeth as he rotated his wrists trying to get some circulation flowing.

"Now, now, Graverobber," Amber said in a maternal tone while waving a delicate finger at him. "Is that any way to treat me after all I've given you?" He let out a short laugh.

"What did you give me besides a price on my head and a lousy fuck?" He knew that she'd have him dosed again or screw his brains out then have her goons beat him to a pulp. No matter what, he was as good as dead by now, so why not get off a few cheap shots?

"Lousy fuck?" she sauntered closer and he now saw what she was wearing: a white satin teddy with purple ribbons up the sides and satin white-stripped stockings. "From what I recall, you were the one always pinning after me, especially when I didn't have any credits for Z."

"That was before I found someone who was a hell of a lot better than you," he shot back while trying to fight back his sudden arousal. "And by the way, white definitely doesn't suit you." Amber wasn't the least bit taken aback.

"Would you prefer I took it off then?" She teasingly pulled at the ribbons.

"I'd rather you didn't, Miss Sweet," Graverobber replied a little too quickly. Even though Bones was dead, he still didn't want to have sex with this psycho. Sure, it may have been hot before, but now this woman just disgusted him. She was nothing but manipulative and vindictive, and she thought she could manipulate him with her sexuality so that she could find Shilo. She was in for a nasty turn-down. "I'd take a ten-year dead, repoed corpse over your plastic ass any day, bitch." This time, Amber crawled onto the bed and slapped him so hard that his lip broke open again, but he didn't care anymore. After calming down, she positioned herself over his crotch and began kissing his neck, but he didn't even get hard and managed to move his head enough to look Amber in the eyes. They were charcoal gray this time, with flecks of electric indigo. He held her strong gaze for a moment then cracked a half-smile.

"You know, no matter how many surgeries you have, you can't do a damn thing about your insecure, self-absorbed, bitchy personality," she drew back about a foot, obviously infuriated, but Graverobber pressed on. "It's too bad, because you surprisingly have a decent brain, probably the only useful thing you inherited from Daddy, but the way you use it, you might as well just replace it with that of Frankenstein's monster's. That's all you are, Amber: A monster wrapped in plastic and silicone." The CEO, who had worked so hard to perfect her outer shell to what she thought she wanted, was so upset, angry, and on the verge of tears, that she slapped Graves again, but it only caused him to laugh insanely while spitting a mouthful of blood onto the white carpet.

"Fuck you, Graverobber!" she shouted while getting off the bed and throwing on her robe. "I'm done with you, you bastard. I'll find the Wallace kid, even if I have to put the whole force on it. And as for your personal slut, I'll hunt her down like a dog and slit her pretty little throat myself." His eyes went wide at hearing that Bones was definitely alive, but didn't get to say anything more when Amber flicked on her wrist-phone and spoke quickly into it. About thirty seconds later, heavy boots could be heard in the hall and then the door was banged open as Repo men and GENcops swarmed into the room, not the least bit surprised that their boss was wearing a robe and some guy was strapped to her bed in his boxers.

"Take him to the morgue, gentlemen," she then tossed Graverobber's clothes to the cops. "Process these after you kill him, but wait a week. See if he spills his guts about anything." Moving quickly and drawing scalpels, four Repo men cut through the straps and Graves didn't even try to get away. He just let one of the cops cuff him and begin to lead him away, but not before he got one last look at Amber and gave her a knowing smirk.

"What's so funny?" she asked, causing the drones to pause.

"Nothing, Miss Sweet. Nothing at all." With that last statement, Graverobber was taken to the elevator then down several floors to the labs and the morgue.


	20. A Little Luck and a Lot of Blood

**I know it's been almost three months since I've updated and I do apologize to all loyal readers who have been wanting to know what happens next. I was hesitant about writing this chapter because I didn't want it sounding cliched or cheesy while still trying to accomplish what was playing out in my head. Well, here it is, and I'm also going through all the previous chapters and changing what I didn't like about them as my writing has been improving. Enjoy and as always, please R&R!  
><strong>

**Chapter Twenty – A Little Luck and a Lot of Blood**

I let out an exasperated sigh as I continued to pour over an endless amount of paperwork that was piled on my desk. In addition to being the head mortician, I not only had to prep the non-repo jobs for burial, but also had to notify the next of kin about the repo jobs, not to mention the insurance companies. Also, I had to pick up where the previous GENtern in my position left off. Of course, Hecate knows what happened to her, but I have a pretty good guess. It was a migraine to say the least and I'd only been on the job a week! I took a sip from my coffee mug to get my mind back on track and was about to start going through another stack of repo jobs when my office door was rudely opened and one of the Repo Men strolled in with an obviously overconfident strut. I recognized this one as James Serano and that was only because of the wide-brimmed hat he wore.

"What is it now, Serano?" I asked in an annoyed tone while flicking my eyes at him then looking down again. He made a noise that resembled a snort and a chuckle.

"Glad to see that you're as cheerful as ever, Alex." He had given me the pet name because he knew I hated it, plus he'd been trying to fuck me since I got here. I made it clear, however, that if he tried any of his shenanigans again that I'd slice off his most valuable piece of equipment and play Pin the Tail on the Donkey. After that, he just stuck to the damn pet name.

"It's Miss Norton to you. What the hell do you want anyway? I'm busy," and I made a dramatic gesture to all the files on my already-overcrowded workspace. He strode arrogantly up to my desk and dropped a clear clipboard onto it with a _clack_. I rolled my eyes and picked it up, expecting to see a recent repossession, but that wasn't it at all. What I read and the picture I saw had me so shocked and overjoyed at the same time that I was also glad that Serano couldn't see my face since I was looking down at the report. When I looked back up, I had changed my expression to one of absolute annoyance and disdain.

"Is this some kind of joke? You know I don't deal with live cases. That's what you and your 'buddies' are supposed to do." He shrugged, an unusual gesture from a man in his self-assured position.

"Orders from the top. He's supposed to be secured in the labs for a week to see if he talks then he gets the repo treatment if he doesn't," he paused then added. "Of course, even if he does talk, he still gets his organs yanked anyway."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

"That's on you, Alex," he turned and tipped his hat to me then went out the door, closing it behind him. When I was sure he was gone, I touched my earpiece.

"I got a line on him, Kid. Now, I just have to get us out of here." I didn't wait for a reply since I knew there wouldn't be one, and grabbed the report, walked out of my office to the labs and entered. I handed it to one of my lackeys and told her to process it then walked further into the lab to find Graverobber sitting in the small employee lounge in nothing but his boxers. The other two GENterns were in there as well, trying to get him to open up, but he was just ignoring them completely. As ecstatic as I was but not wanting to throw my sudden stroke of luck to the wolves, I straightened up and said,

"Ringo. Taylor," Their attention immediately focused on me, but Graves still didn't move. "I believe you both still have some work that I assigned you to while I was in my office." They hung their heads in embarrassment.

"Sorry Miss Norton," Diane Taylor apologized then they moved to go do as I had told them earlier. I watched them leave, and then turned my full attention to Graverobber, who still refused to look up. I sat down across from him, folded my hands under my chin, and spoke,

"So, what's your story, stranger?" He didn't respond. "Oh, I get it: you pissed off Amber, so she sent you down here. I guess you couldn't live up to her standards," I shrugged. "Ah, don't beat yourself up over it, handsome. You should be grateful that you're still alive. I've seen what she does to disappointments and it ain't pretty. I should know cuz I've gotta arrange the clean-up crew." I gave him an appreciative glance, but he still didn't look at me. "However, you'd be a real nice clean-up job. I bet all those organs of yours would go for a pretty penny." He finally looked at me with a death glare that would've made anyone else cower, but I just rolled my eyes and laughed. He was perplexed and angry that a GENtern would have the nerve to laugh at him, but something told me that it wasn't a first-time thing. I could feel his burning gaze boring into my skull as I stood up and closed the lounge door.

"Please. Do you really think you're going to spook me with that look after all this time? I know you better than you think." I gloated as I sat back down. He was clearly confused now while he was processing what I said and trying to figure out where and when he knew me. I rolled my eyes again but still keep my smile.

"While I'm willing to bet a full week's worth of pay that you were given a significant dose of Zydrate, I highly doubt it fried your brain that much… Vlad." I almost whispered his name, as I knew that this whole building was rigged with cameras and who knows what other kinds of surveillance bugs, and I couldn't give myself away now, not when I was so close. Graverobber's face went from perplexed to disbelief mixed with a type of joy that I've never seen him display before. Of course, he quickly covered it up with his cool demeanor and trademark smirk.

"You have my full attention now, Miss… Norton was it?" I nodded, and he leaned back into the couch. "However, before I delve into the details of my current predicament, would you mind if I had some kind of clothing?"

"I suppose I could rummage through the wardrobe of the Repo Men. Give me a moment." I briefly left the lounge, going to the labs where the repossessions were performed when they weren't done in the streets and went straight to the spare clothes closet. After rummaging for a few minutes, I found a long-sleeve shirt, some black work pants, a freshly washed pair of socks, and a pair of work boots that would fit him. Just as a precautionary measure, I folded up a Repo uniform and tucked it away for later then I went back to the lounge and tossed the clothes to Graves.

"Thanks, Norton," he quickly threw on the shirt and pants. "I was a little cold for a while there. Do you GENterns always keep it just above freezing in here?"

"We've usually got no say in it, and I'm also willing to bet that the Repo Men could work in the arctic without feeling it." He actually chuckled as he laced up the boots.

"So," he said with a hopeful glint in his eye. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've never dealt with a live case as I am a mortician, not a Repo, so this may sound like standard procedure, but this is what's going to happen according to what I was told…" I began.

* * *

><p>Shilo had been extremely restless ever since Bones had manipulated her way into GeneCo a week ago, and was currently pacing the floor in her room, waiting for any kind of update on the situation. Sure, the woman could take care of herself when it came to being on the streets, but if things went up in smoke now, being so close to the Largos could present unforeseen problems, which could lead to the execution of Shilo's friends. She felt helpless and frustrated at being left in the dark and was about to just go bursting into the tower herself when her earpiece crackled,<p>

"I got a line on him, Kid. Now I just have to get us out of here," and that was all. Knowing that it would've been stupid to send a reply, the young woman quickly gathered her necessary tools for this type of operation, most of which she'd collected (and stolen) over her two years in hiding. Double checking her list, Shilo gave a quick glance around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, and on her way out, flipped open her wrist-phone and spoke,

"Hey Ricky, you guys ready?" A gruff man's voice answered back.

"Always ready, Shilo. You just say 'go' and we'll be there." A muffled cheer could be heard in the background and Shilo smiled.

"I'll call you when I'm at the tower. Remember: Make sure the targets are safe then we move in."

"Roger, Kid. Over and out," and she was off.

* * *

><p>"Are you absolutely sure nobody saw me do that?" Graves asked as he slipped the recently deceased Repo Man's helmet over his head, making sure to conceal his hair.<p>

"Positive," I answered back. "I told you before that the locker rooms are the only places in this whole building that don't have cameras or voice pick-ups. Well, the locker rooms and the bathrooms, much to Pavi's disappointment." He snickered, but I could barely hear it with his mouth being covered. I then handed him a scalpel that I'd swiped from the lab and hid in a stack of papers.

"Now for the tricky part," he gripped the surgical tool with some apprehension. "I usually prefer just sticking a needle up their nose and in the dark at that, but if this'll get us out of here…" he trailed off as he sliced through the corpse's shirt and into the body cavity with one fluid motion. Thankfully, this had been one of the newest recruits into the Repo ranks, so it would be easy for me to doctor up some records that claimed him to be a delinquent payer, and the fact that he had a new heart, kidneys, and a spine just made it even easier.

"Just work as quick as you can, but don't be sloppy about it. It's got to look like a pro did it." He looked up at me for a second.

"Since when have you known me to be unprofessional?" I rolled my eyes.

"Just hurry up, will you?" I tossed him some hygienic packaging and a bio-hazard parcel. "I'll see you back at the lab." I slipped out of the locker room into the hallway and started to walk back to my office when I felt a strong pair of hands grab me and shove me roughly to the wall. I could feel a tooth crack and a piece chip off as my head was slammed to the hard surface, but I managed not to cry out, even though the pain was absolutely killer.

Well, well, well, now what do we have here?" the all-too familiar voice taunted. I actually had the audacity to smile, as I knew this was bound to happen, not to mention the knife that was positioned below my right shoulder blade. I really knew that the façade was over when I felt my dreads cascade down my back and the maniac let out a demented chuckle then turned me around swiftly so he could look me in the eyes. He positioned the blade at my throat, just below the jugular, and grinned,

"Never thought I'd have this sweet of an opportunity," he said, as he looked me over, more than likely checking out my uniform. "But it looks as though the predator has finally caught his favorite, elusive prey." I snorted at his word choice.

"I never thought you could be so eloquent, Luigi," he shrugged it off. "I always figured that Daddy left all that to your womanizing, face-stealer of a brother." His face went stormy at the mention of Rotti and the insult to Pavi, and he dug the knife into my skin, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of vocal expression, even as I felt blood trickling down. Instead, I gave him a defiant stare that pissed him off so much that he slapped me and I spat blood onto the floor.

"I could kill you right now, Bones, but then I wouldn't be able to have any fun, and I've been planning a great many fun things for us." I spat blood again, but this time, into the Largo's face, which served its purpose of infuriating him further.

"Never had you pegged for being as obsessive as your bitch of a sister. Don't you have other toys to play with instead of fantasizing about me all day?" Yeah, I was provoking him, but I was also waiting for Graverobber to finish his repo job, as I knew he would pass this way. My comment earned me an even harder slap from Luigi and I spat out a tooth.

"You know what? I think I might just do you right here, you little graverobbing bitch," he put his knife away, gripped my arm so hard I could feel a bruise forming, but then caressed my face, which made me cringe. "However, I may just take you to my office first and _enjoy_ your company for a while." Despite my fear and anger at this lunatic, I could still muster up the sarcasm.

"Please, Largo! You're not even half the man you think you are, and I'm too much woman for you to handle," I glared at him and smiled insanely, which seemed to put him off somewhat. "Why don't you go find a cowering little GENtern to fuck then stab?" That really sent him over the edge as he put his gloved hands on my throat and I saw everything around me start to blur. Desperation hit and I quickly kneed him in the groin, causing the psychopath to collapse, holding his damaged pride. I clutched my throat, trying to blink away the dark spots in front of my eyes then saw the Repo Man out of my peripheral vision. With the lack of oxygen flowing to my brain, I froze like a convict waiting to be executed by firing squad, and in my lapse, Luigi recovered and stood up confidently.

"Ah, what perfect timing! Now we can repossess everything you've got and give that beautiful face to my brother," the legal assassin drew closer and Luigi slammed me against the wall again. "But first, I'm going to play with you-" He didn't get to finish telling me his sinister plan as the leather-clad man shoulder-checked him, knocking the Largo to the floor and away from me. I looked at my savior, astonished, but it faded as a blue eye winked at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shrieked, standing up. "Don't you know who the fuck I am?" The slasher strode up to Luigi and got right in his face.

"I know exactly who you are, Looney," and before he could derive any meaning from that statement, Luigi Largo was on his knees, choking on his own blood. As much as I wanted to watch the son of a bitch suffocate on his own bodily fluids, we had to get away from the scene and get in contact with Shilo, not to mention avoid the security force that would be hunting us for killing one of the public's angels.

"It won't be long before Amber has her goon squad on us and we've gotta make ourselves invisible." We ran as fast as we could back to my office, where I locked us in and started rummaging through my desk.

"I'll keep the Repo uniform, seeing as how those guys never talk. I just have to get rid of this blood." I gestured over my shoulder towards the bathroom and he made a beeline for it while I found what I was looking for: a new zydrate gun and a shiny scalpel.

"Nice toys. I'm not even gonna ask how you got them," I just grinned smartly at him as he strolled out of the bathroom, his stolen uniform spotless and the tools of the "trade" in one hand. "I think I know of a way to get to the queen bee, but I've gotta do it alone." I frowned but he continued. "Those cameras in that hallway caught your real face, so you have to find somewhere to hide and get in touch with the Kid."

"What exactly are you going to do? Waltz right into her office and drop off the parcel? She still has those bodyguards that dear dead Dad used to use." He waved off the concern as if it were nothing.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," he walked towards the door then turned to look at me. "You just worry about you and Shilo. I can handle Amber Sweet. She may have said that she was done with me and sent me to be repoed, but I know her better than she knows herself. Trust me, Bones. I'll be all right," and with that, he was gone.


	21. Honey For the Queen

**Chapter Twenty-One – Honey For the Queen**

The cleverly-disguised Graverobber didn't receive so much as a second glance as he navigated the halls, looking for Amber's office. Of course, everything was still business as usual, which meant that no one had stumbled upon Luigi's body yet or Amber was keeping it under wraps and tightly so. Not that it should matter to her anyway since she had always bitched about how much of a blockhead her late older brother was, but one in her position had to keep the masses happy and in the dark. As Graves ascended to the top floor, he imagined that his former lover was shouting at her cops, demanding to know who killed Luigi while planning a spin story for the magazines and engineering a public spectacle for a funeral, if there would ever be one. The elevator opened to a long, quiet hall that ultimately ended at the CEO's door. The Repo Man coolly walked towards his goal when he was almost blindsided by a door opening and who should step out but Pavi? Graverobber fought down the urge to slash the face stealer too, but he knew he couldn't risk exposure right here, and granted he may act like a sissy; Pavi would more than likely fight back.

"Watch-a where you are going!" the weirdo snapped, slightly agitated. Graves carefully stepped back while the Largo flicked his gaze from his mirror to the unsuspected legal assassin. After about a minute, Pavi snapped again with more agitation,

"What-a are you-a doing up here?" The slasher just pointed to the bio-hazard parcel and the vain man groaned. "You-a must be-a new. Follow-a me." He led the disguised robber to the last door, all the while muttering about how incompetent new recruits could be. They all seemed to think that they could just deposit their repossessions to Amber directly.

'They must get that idea from James Serano.' Pavi thought as he paused at the door where he could hear his sister roaring at the top of her lungs.

"What the fuck do you mean that you don't know who killed him?" Pavi flinched as he opened the door halfway then quickly closed it as a crystal globe smashed against it and shattered into tiny pieces.

"Oh dear-a sister," he sing-songed as he braved across the threshold to see one of the squad captains receiving a verbal lashing. Apparently, his men had been on patrol when Luigi was murdered and none of them had seen or heard a thing. The captain was now trying to explain this to Amber, but she wasn't having it. She screamed several expletives, but stopped when she noticed her brother and the Repo Man.

"What now, Pavi? Can't you see I'm busy?" The ever-present guards flanked her on both sides, pistols at the ready in case there was any threat to their mistress. Graverobber kept silent as he followed Pavi inside and surreptitiously observed everything in the room: Face-stealer: a few feet ahead; Drone: standing in front of desk, but will probably be leaving shortly; Guards: Next to the queen bee, sporting guns; Goal: Behind desk and on a tirade. Getting past the henchwomen would be the most difficult obstacle, unless he could get Amber to make them leave because they were the types to shoot first, ask no questions later.

"Go over the security tapes again and have the morticians look over the scene closer," the bitch was telling the drone how to do the job he should already know how to do, "I may not have liked my brother, but I still wanna know who killed him. Now, get out!" The captain made his exit rather quickly; glad to get out of his boss's proximity.

'That's one less bonehead to deal with.' Graves thought. After the door clicked shut, Amber flicked her sapphire gaze to her remaining sibling.

"What the hell is it this time? I'm pissed off enough already over what happened to Luigi, although the dumbass probably had it coming with all the slashing he did, and I don't need _your_ shit right now!" As usual, the remaining brother didn't flinch at her crude remarks, but gestured to the "new recruit," who remained silent as he lifted the parcel and opened it. Amber rolled her eyes.

"Don't you jackasses know better than to drop your orders off in my office? I swear you do this on purpose just to aggravate me." She sighed heavily with the extra weight that was on her shoulders and slumped into her chair. "What have you got for me?" she asked. She dismissed her bodyguards, telling them that there was nothing to worry about and giving orders to go check out the murder scene then turned her attention back to the Repo Man while pinching the bridge of her nose.

'Man, is she stupid, but tragedy will do that to you,' Graves thought as he deposited the wrapped heart, kidneys, and spine on the desk and stepped back to stand slightly behind and to the right of Pavi…

* * *

><p>When Vlad left my office, I locked the door behind him and began shuffling through my desk for something to help reconcile my false identity seeing as how Luigi had ruined my previous disguise. Finding the spare black wig I'd borrowed from Shilo, I quickly fitted it over my head, not caring whether someone was watching as most of the security force was at the murder scene anyway. The only one I had to worry about fooling was the top Repo Man since he was always showing up at the most inconvenient times, trying to screw me. Of course, I could pass off the change as a sudden urge for surgery. Most of my underlings did that anyway; I just made sure that the first payment came out of their paychecks. Feeling that I was ready, I unlocked the door just in case anyone happened by then decided to change out of the "required" skimpy uniform into some more practical clothes. As I stepped into the bathroom, I heard the familiar <em>click<em>, followed by the known _thud_ of heavy boots and there was only person I knew that walked like that.

"What the hell do you want now, Serano?" I snapped without turning around to face him. "I could use some fucking privacy right now."

"When you work for this company, baby, you don't get much for privacy." I could feel his presence of death radiating just behind me, but I held my ground.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by those stupid names?" Without waiting for a reply, I slammed the door in his face and stripped off my GENtern dress and mask. I had only just gotten my bra on when that gutsy son of a bitch made a rude entrance and for the first time, I saw his face. Too bad he was such a jerk because he was actually good-looking with smoldering gray eyes, tousled black hair, and a scar running from the right eye to the jaw along the outside of his face. His gloves were off and I could see that is hands were roughly calloused, but clean. I looked back at his eyes and placed my hands on my hips in annoyance, despite my sudden arousal.

"And here I thought you had more class than this, but it turns out you're just as bad as the brothers. Can't even give a lady a few minutes to change her wardrobe." I grabbed my black V-neck T-shirt and threw it angrily over my head, careful not to disturb the wig.

"What do you want anyway because if it's what I think it is, you're sure as shit not getting it," I reached for my black jeans, but before I could, he grabbed my arms and slammed me against the wall hard enough to give me a start on a migraine.

"You know damn well what I want and since everyone is busy with the murder of Luigi, I've got you all to myself, Alex," his intense gaze raked over my form and he leaned in closer until I could feel his breath on my neck. I give it my best effort to fight the goosebumps threatening to rise on my skin, but to no avail.

"I'd be a fool to waste this opportunity, but then again, I always was one to be considered foolish. That only seemed to increase when I came to work for GeneCo." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but I kept my guard up just in case this nut job was trying to distract me.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of confession because you're dying or something, Serano? Should I send for a priest to read you your last rites too?" I said with sarcasm dripping from my voice. He snarled and slammed me again, but I just cracked a sinister grin in defiance. I felt his lips assault my neck and I jerked away angrily, glaring at him with pure rage and he knew what I would do to him when I got loose.

"Calm down, sweetheart. I only want one thing from you and you're just making it harder for me to accomplish," he moved his hand down my torso then slid it up under my shirt and let it rest on my stomach. "And since I've been waiting so long for it, I think we should get down to it." He kissed my neck again and again I pulled away.

"For one, you've only worked with me for a few weeks, so I hardly think that's been a long time. Two, you're off in fucking La-La Land if you think you're going to fuck me. And three, you may be the top Repo Man, but I've kicked your ass on more than one occasion and I will do it again," I paused to let my words sink in then gave him an ultimatum. So, you can let me go now and walk away intact, or I can kick your ass now and you will become a unic because I guarantee that you won't get a new dick unless you steal one from a repo job." His face flickered around horrified, stormy, and then on the verge of regretful. His grip loosened on my arm and his hand left my stomach, but he didn't back off. I couldn't read what he was thinking…

* * *

><p>Shilo turned her collar up against the harsh wind that bit at her skin as she waited by her parents' tomb. It wasn't the most elegant memorial, but at least no one disturbed it, mostly because there weren't any bodies to harvest. Checking her watch once more, she heard the scuff of boots on the cobblestones and ducked into the shadows, thinking it was the usual graveyard patrols, but they never traveled in groups unless they were about to take someone down, and this sounded like four or five people. Cautiously, she poked her head out to get a better look and saw the familiar outline of her partner-in-crime and his five loyal companions.<p>

"Twenty," she spoke barely above a whisper.

"First," a gruff whisper answered back, which she took as her cue to step out of her hiding place and was enveloped in a hug.

"About time you guys got here," Shilo joked while receiving a kiss on the forehead. "I was about to bust into the tower myself." The man who was holding her chuckled.

"Aye, that you would have, Kid." His gruff voice had a slight Irish accent and a scratchy undertone from smoking too many cigarettes. He kissed Shilo again, but this time on the lips, which caused the others to clear their throats in embarrassment. While she enjoyed it, Shilo knew they had work to do and disengaged first.

"As much as I'd like to take this further, Ricky, we have some friends to rescue," she picked up her knapsack from the stone steps and secured it on her shoulders. "Sorry about the sudden change in the rendezvous point, but the last things I wanted was to get caught when I was so close to our goal." The dark-haired, dark-eyed Irishman nodded in understanding as he too had a long-standing grudge against GeneCo, specifically Pavi Largo. That damaging day constantly played over and over again as he watched helplessly from his hiding place while his mother was raped, slashed, and her beautiful face stolen by that smooth-talking bastard while his father lay bleeding to death from a knife wound. Ricky had been fourteen at the time and couldn't remember what his parents had done to bring down the wrath of Rotti's younger son, but he did remember his father telling him to hide and keep silent moments before the door was broken down by the cops and the old man was cruelly slashed in the throat by the sex addict of the family. While he had managed to elude capture for the next five years, he had heard about the events of the Genetic Opera and the orphan named Shilo Wallace. He had found her wandering the back alleys after the show, thankfully still intact, and immediately took her under his wing. He taught her the ropes of living on the streets and helped her through the medication withdrawals while planning a way to hit the Largos where it hurt. As they spent more time together, they not only acquired others with the same goal, but also became more than friends and had been so for just over a year.

"So, how do we get into this place without getting shot first?" asked one of the men in their group. He had razor cut blonde hair and sunken green eyes from too many sleepless nights. Another smiled as they stopped three blocks from the tower on a dark, abandoned street.

"You don't spend years as a GENcop and not come away without a few secrets," he almost gloated as he produced a rolled up document and a small illuminator that everyone gathered around. His head was shaved close to the scalp and his brown has little life left in them from seeing things no human should see in one lifetime. He unrolled the paper to reveal a blueprint of the building's entire first floor and underground levels. On it were several spots marked with red X's, indicating other entrances/exits that few employees knew about. Ricky whistled in appreciation.

"Damn, Charlie," he said to the ex-cop. "I knew being a police commander had its perks, but I never thought you'd get this kind of benefit." Charlie just grinned at the younger man.

"Now, there are a few ways we can get inside without attracting attention…"

* * *

><p>Graverobber remained where he was while Amber inspected the recent repossession.<p>

"Where's the order for this one?" she almost snapped, looking up. He produced a phony write-up that Bones had quickly doctored and the plastic woman snatched it from him then gave it a cursory glance.

"Everything seems to be in order, so you can get the hell out of my office. You too, Pavi," she waved both men off in annoyance. "Go find some GENtern to screw or something." As she started to regain her train of thought on her statement to the press about Luigi, she heard a bone snap and a shriek that was cut off abruptly by an audible slap. Amber snapped her head up just in time to see her remaining brother fall to the floor with the Repo Man standing over him, and from the odd angle of his leg, she could tell that it was definitely broken, probably even shattered.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, you son of a bitch!" She reached for her intercom to call her guards, but the assassin threw a scalpel that struck home, permanently disabling the device. He secured the door then stalked to where she sat and loomed over her menacingly. Trying to keep control of the situation, the CEO made a move for her wrist-phone, but cried out in surprise and pain when it was brutally slapped off her wrist. The impact of the metal broke at least four bones and forced Amber to clutch her injury, trying to curb the pain while forcing back the tears welling up in her orange cat-eyes.

"There. Now we can be sure no one will disturb us unless I want them to," the all-too familiar voice spoke while removing his headpiece. She was even more dumbfounded when that long, multicolored hair fell out from underneath, followed by those bright blue eyes and that damnable smirk.

"How-how-how did you-," she stammered, unable to believe her eyes that Graverobber was standing before her.

"Like I told you before you sent me to the gallows, Miss Sweet: You'll all be dead before me. _That_ I guarantee," he went back to Pavi's limp form and dragged it to one of the stiff-backed chairs, when he dropped it unceremoniously. Graves then sat down, looking smug while watching his former lover stare at him denial for a few moments then he spoke again.

"This is quite an elaborate and drawn out game we've been playing, Amber, but no more. The rules changed drastically when your minions tried to kill my woman, and all because you just _had _to have your way. Tsk tsk," he shook his head in what seemed to be disappointment. "I thought Daddy taught you better than that."

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed Luigi," she stood up enraged. "Damnit! You killed my brother!" She lunged at him, but he quickly sidestepped and she ended up doing a carpet face plant. The action just aggravated her injury more to the point where she cried out in anguish.

"Now that wasn't very smart, was it?" She slowly fumbled around into a sitting position and shook Pavi on the shoulder, trying to wake him up, but to no avail. He was out cold. Realizing her predicament, Amber sighed heavily in defeat then flinched when a painful jolt shot up her arm.

"What do you want, Graverobber?" she asked, knowing that she had no choice but to negotiate if her and Pavi were to survive this.

"Well now, let me see," he had already figured this into his half-assed scheme, but he had to savor this turn of events while he waited for his cavalry to arrive. He was half-expecting to be dead by now anyway. Thank whatever gods there were for small favors. Plus, he absolutely loved seeing this supposed all-powerful bitch squirm.

"Since the eldest Largo is tragically deceased and the living brother is only interested in his libido, not to mention all of your past and current blunders," he grinned when she scowled at him. "You _will_ relinquish GeneCo and all of its assets to the one person your father intended it to go to." Amber's jaw dropped as he gave away the one piece of information she so desperately wanted.

"And why the fuck should I just hand everything over to that little sheltered brat?"

"Because unlike you, she actually has a real heart," and he let that statement hang in the thick air so that she could think about it. After a few seconds, he added:

"Oh, and you have to leave Bones, myself, and the Kid alone. You never had me, Amber and you never will. Just accept it." He thought he saw actual tears in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. The silence returned and hung ominously between them. Amber didn't want to give everything up just like that, but what choice did she have? Graverobber could expose her to the media or kill her and Pavi. Neither option was satisfactory. It was at that moment that the face-stealer started to stir and opened his eyes.


	22. The Lone Wolf in the Pack

******A/N: I know it's been forever since I've updated, but I wanted to be sure I liked this chapter before I posted it, not to mention my very limited access to the Internet as of late. That should change by the end of the week (fingers crossed). As always, please R&R!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two – The Lone Wolf in the Pack**

I kept my muscles tense as I waited to see what Serano was going to do since he still hadn't let go of me. His gaze was directed to the floor so he seemed to be contemplating what I'd said, but the man was so adept at hiding his emotions, it was hard to tell. After a few minutes of extremely tense silence, he finally released his grip on me and walked back a few feet so I could finish getting dressed. I snatched up my jeans and quickly threw them on, followed by my socks and jump boots.

"What happened, Serano?" I asked as I laced up my boots. "Have a change of heart?" He briefly glared at me then turned away.

"For your information, I'm not too keen on the idea of living the rest of my life without a dick, and as much as I'd like to fuck you, you're certainly not worth losing my nuts over." I shrugged, even though he couldn't see it.

"Whatever, Repo Man."

"Don't call me that," he growled and my defenses went up again. "I may be at the top of the ladder, but I did some nasty things to get there and I'm not proud of any of them."

"Do I even wanna know what those things were?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I mentally caught myself for that one, wondering why I had even asked in the first place. It wasn't as though I gave a damn about his personal life, but then again, he was starting to show that he was more than a legal assassin. Maybe I could use him to get Graverobber and myself out of here. He just shook his head and I left the issue alone. Fixing my hair and without waiting for him to move, I shoved my way back into the office to look for something. As I was shuffling through my files, the Repo Man clomped his way over to my desk and peered down at what I was doing. I glanced up for a split second then looked back down again.

"Don't you have some delinquent organs to repossess or something?" I snapped and looked up again, only to see him smile knowingly.

"Oh, I know I do, but you see, I'm much more interested in what you're doing."

"And what the hell makes you think I'm going to let you in on what I'm doing, Serano?" I paused in looking through my files and focused my entire attention on him. What was this guy up to? Did he know something I didn't? Could he have known that Graves was Luigi's murderer? I mentally kicked myself for that stupid notion. Unless he happened to be in the security compound when the dirty deed was done, he couldn't have known, and even if he had seen it, the killer was disguised as a now-dead Repo Man recruit. I continued to stare into his gray eyes, even as he ran a finger along my jaw line, forcing me to shudder slightly at the touch, which he seemed to find amusing.

"I'll tell you something I do know, Alex," he paused as he gripped my chin, making me growl in annoyance. "I know that you didn't get the sudden urge for surgery since I've heard you state numerous times that you would never submit to any artificial enhancements," he was right, the son of a bitch, but I didn't let it show that he currently had the upper hand. "I still have no idea as to why someone like you would _want_ to infiltrate this place, but I can tell you that you won't be getting out of here alive. At least, not without my help." He didn't give me a chance for all that to sink in when he delivered a harsh, quick kiss to my lips, causing me to pull away roughly in disgust. It wasn't until I saw him holding Shilo's wig that I realized I had once again fallen into a clever trap. As my long dreads fell over my shoulders, I actually had the audacity to grin sinisterly, which in turn, wiped that confident smile off James Serano's face.

"What? You think I came in here without some kind of plan?" I laughed at his surprise. "Lock the door, would you? I don't want any of the drones interrupting us." Without hesitation, he locked the office then placed the borrowed wig on my desk, which I picked up and gently put in my messenger bag.

"I knew there was something different about you when I brought in that live case," he revealed as I removed my contacts to reveal my bright green eyes. "You spent more time with _him_ than with any of your other cadavers, not to mention how he mysteriously disappeared, along with one of MY uniforms and new recruits." I put the lenses into their case as he continued his accusations. Like I actually gave a shit about any of it since my cover had already been blown once.

"However," the killer paused, as he seemed to be considering his options, "seeing as how I know who you are and you know that there's no way you can get out undetected without me, I'm going to make you a proposition."

"Oh? And just what makes your twisted mind think that I can't get outta here on my own?" I crossed my arms over my chest in a posture in defiance. "I got in on my own, didn't I?"

"I suppose I do have to grant you credit on that, but as you and I both know, there's only one way out of this company."

"No shit, Sherlock, although I've already laid out another escape route. Now, what the fuck are you proposing? I've got shit to do here."

"Fine, fine, fine. All I ask to blow out of this joint along with you," my eyes widened in shock. I never thought he actually _wanted_ to get out of this fucked up corporation. "I can help you escape and all I want is to go with you. This place has been rapidly going down the tubes since Amber took over anyway and I for one do not want to be a part of it." I sighed heavily as I thought hard about what he was proposing and it was beginning to look as though I didn't have much choice in the matter seeing as how he could turn me in to Amber at any given time and collect on my bounty.

"All right, Serano. You've got a deal." I stuck out my hand and we shook on it.

"Okay, first off, my name is James and I'd prefer it if you called me that,"

"Fine, James. I can live with that if you call me Miss Norton or Alexandra."

"Duly noted, Alexandra. So, what's your plan for getting outta here?"

* * *

><p>Graverobber still hadn't moved from his chair, even as Pavi slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but immediately flinched and laid back down as pain shot violently up his leg.<p>

"Pavi!" Amber grabbed his hand to try and comfort him, but he only moaned in anguish.

"I think it's fair to say that the leg is definitely broken and if it doesn't get set soon, it will become infected and probably have to be amputated," Graverobber paused to watch the face-stealer's hooded eyes dilate with pure fear at the thought of losing a leg because it would take a long time for it to be replaced since the company had yet to master full limb replacements. "However, if your lovely sister agrees to my conditions, I may feel generous enough to let you out of here to get your leg fixed. With an armed escort of my choosing, of course." The siblings looked at each other, confused.

"What-a do you mean-a by 'your-a choosing?" Pavi asked while ignoring the persistent pain spikes. "None of-a the-a GENterns or GENcops will-a obey you."

"Oh, I wasn't referring to _your_ employees, Mr. Largo. I suspect that my own reinforcements will be arriving soon, granted I did have someone in your employ already in on this scheme."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Amber snapped.

"Think about it, bitch: How else would I have gotten away from your intended repo treatment? I had to have someone on the inside. Hell, I'm surprised you never figured it out. Maybe I was wrong about you after all. Maybe you are dumber than you look." He expected her to either starting crying or screaming, but her reaction actually surprised him: she began laughing.

"I may or may not get out of this situation on the favorable end and you _may_ be right about me, but at least _I'm not_ the one on a slab in a refrigerator right now," she scoffed. "If there was anyone in this family who was stupid, it was Luigi. I suppose I should thank you for killing him, Graverobber. You did what I ultimately couldn't just because he was my flesh and blood, like those words even have any meaning these days."

"What!" Pavi shrieked. "He killed our brother?"

"That's right, freak-face. I slit his throat, just like he's done to so many others before his demise. It was quite a fitting end for him, seeing as how he was about to do something much more sinister to my woman." The remaining brother actually looked as though he might start bawling at any minute, which was quite amusing since his current face was pulled into a permanent grin. Amber, on the other hand, was perplexed by Graves' statement about why he killed Luigi and she was about to put two-and-two together when he spoke again,

"Anyway, we're getting off subject her. I want an answer, Miss Sweet. Not like it matters since you get the shit stick either way. It all depends on whether you want to live or die."

"What's he-a talking about, sister?"

"Shut up, Pavi and let me think," she snapped, irritated at him being a blockhead right now. For about ten minutes, none of them moved or spoke and when Amber was about to answer, as well as voice the fact that she knew who helped the dealer, someone knocked on the office door…

* * *

><p>"You'd think with how filthy rich they were that the Largos could hire a decent cleaning crew for their basements." Shilo was referring to the elaborate mess her, Ricky, and their friends had stumbled into after emerging from one of the underground tunnels that led into the sub-basement where apparently a lot of old body parts were dumped.<p>

"Aye, lass," Ricky agreed, tying a black bandana around his face. "If I'da known it 'twas gonna smell so foul, I'da brought me a gas mask." He handed her a facial covering and the others followed suit. As Charlie reproduced his map, the blonde man shined a light around, trying to see if there might be a clear way through the organic muck.

"Can you see anything remotely resembling a path, Dean?" Charlie asked the blonde while coughing from the putrid smell.

"I think so, Charlie," Dean replied, moving the flashlight in a tight circle to signal the others of his discovery. "It's thin, but it's obviously been used recently. Masking our footprints should be relatively easy."

"Easy? Nothing about this expedition is easy," scoffed another man with red hair in a ponytail and ocean blue eyes. "If it had been easy, we'd have had our targets and be outta here by now."

"Let's try to stay focused here, Russ." Ricky gave him a slight reprimand.

"This 'path' should lead us to a series of elevators that we'll be able to ride up to the basement, but from there, it gets a little dicey," Charlie rolled up is stolen blueprint and put it away. "We'll be walking into a nest of GENcops, but hopefully, most of them will be out on patrol, unless Amber's changed their rotation schedule. If we're lucky, there should only be a few of them hanging around and we can easily take them out." The ex-cop led the team through the decaying organs, and just like he said, to a row of elevators, where he pressed the UP button.

"And what if Amber has changed things around since you've worked here?" Shilo asked, stepping into the car mostly covered in dried blood, but there were some small fresh puddles.

"Then we'll have to cause a bigger ruckus than we originally intended, love." Ricky replied with a glint in his dark eyes.

"If that be the case, let's try not to get ourselves killed in the process. I may hate GeneCo, but I'm sure as hell not gonna die before I've had the chance to deal out some vengeance." Dean spoke, acid lacing his voice.

"We all feel that way, Dean. We all feel that way." Shilo comforted him, laying a soft hand on his thick arm. The door slid open…

**Ha ha! Cliffhanger! I have to be devious once in a while.**


	23. Calvary Charge

**A/N: I know I haven't update since before Halloween, but this one just wasn't writing itself in my brain like I wanted it to. So sorry to keep you all waiting, but I must also say thank you to a number of other REPO! writers (you all know who you are) for the inspiration that has helped me to write this. Enjoy, and as always, please R&R!  
><strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Three – Calvary Charge**

The typical run of GeneCo commercials cycled through their loop once more as six GENcops dragged themselves into the break room. Three went straight to the coffee brewer while the other three dropped their headgear and guns, and kicked off their boots. All of them let out a collective long, exhausted sigh as they had just come back from the late graveyard patrol and had not yet heard about Luigi's demise. However, these six would never hear about it as one of the basement elevators unexpectedly opened, which was strange since the body/organ dumps were concluded for the day. Seven unfamiliar people emerged and each one was holding either a knife or a gun.

"Well, well, well," said the bald man holding a shotgun. "This sure is an unexpected opportunity." Before he could say anything more, one of the cops went for his gun, but the young girl swiftly threw her knife, connecting with his neck and severing the spinal cord. The five remaining goons froze, but it didn't save them as the invaders quickly finished them off with a shot to the head. Bits of bone, brain, and a shower of blood splattered all over the stark white walls and puddled onto the gray tiled floor as the fresh corpses fell over with a series of _thuds_.

"That was far too easy," Russ commented skeptically while moving to strip one of the bodies of its uniform.

"Either too easy or we just had great timing," Dean answered as he holstered his 38 S&W then proceeded to clean up the bloody mess they'd made in the cops' break room before anyone else saw it. Shilo moved to quickly scrub the floor as Ricky and the others swiped the remaining patrol outfits, leaving the cadavers in their boxers and socks.

"Shit. I forgot how tight these damn things were," Charlie groaned, strapping on the bulletproof vest.

"Maybe ye've just gained some pounds, lad," Ricky joked, snapping the riot helmet on his head. The rest of the men and Shilo laughed when Charlie gave Ricky the finger, causing him to flash the vulgar "V" sign in return.

"Aight, enough fuckin' 'round," the Irishman got very serious, forcing everyone to become silent with the only sound being the small holo-television. "Now dat we're in, 'tis time ta implement phase two." The disguised rebels nodded and looked at Shilo as one, causing her to take an involuntary step back.

"Wait a second, Ricky," she held her hands up as if to defend herself. "You never told me about phase two- what the hell are you doing!" she screamed as Russ grabbed her from behind and held her fast. She struggled, but it was in vain as her lover roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Sorry love," he spoke with sad eyes, "but ye've outlived ye usefulness." Before Shilo could register that, the Irishman stuck a syringe in her neck and emptied it. She then became dizzy and was having trouble focusing on anything then her skin started to feel prickly. As she felt her consciousness fade to black, Shilo heard,

"Slap the shockers on her, Dean." Silence, and then, "I l…," and nothing.

* * *

><p>When it was certain that she was completely knocked out, Charlie and Russ hoisted her up by the arms and dragged her out of the break room while Ricky, Dean, and the two others dragged the dead into the elevator they'd used earlier and sent them down to the organ dump.<p>

"By the time anyone figures out what we've done, it'll be too late," Ricky said gruffly as they went to follow Russ and Charlie. One of the other men with wavy silver-white hair and brown eyes looked at his friend worriedly.

"Are you okay with what you're doing to her, Rick?"

"She would've done the same if she were me, Jack!" Ricky shouted, pain clearly showing in his voice. Jack jumped at the sudden display of ferocity, but didn't press it any further. He knew that fiery temper all too well, having been on the receiving end of it more than a few times. As the incognito cops approached the main lobby, Jack heard Ricky mumble,

"I love you, Shilo." Jack briefly glanced as him, but quickly snapped his attention forward as they entered a pool of somewhat controlled chaos.

Several GENterns were running around like scared chickens clucking to each other about someone getting murdered, but Jack couldn't quite catch the name of the recently deceased. A squad of GENcops was also present, attempting to keep some form of order as more GENterns, as well as surGENs and even a few Repo Men were running back and forth through the large room. The usurped group shuffled past the front desk with their captive and only then did the chaotic activity stop, as if it was shut off with a switch. Every employee was literally struck dumb by the mere presence of Shilo Wallace and the fact that she was unconscious, hanging between two cops was all the more astounding.

"Oh my god!" one of the GENterns damn near squealed. "That's HER, isn't it," and she pointed at the captured young woman. Everyone else just stared, jaws dropped for a few seconds until Charlie snapped them out of their shock.

"We're taking her to Miss Sweet," his voice was extremely hard. "Now if you all could stop gawking and show us the way, it would certainly help us." One of the GENcops straightened up.

"Her office is on the top floor, at the end of the hall." He pointed to the elevator and Charlie nodded stiffly then led his team to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, but not before catching a strange glance from a Repo Man that was directed at Shilo.

* * *

><p>The ride seemed to take forever, causing the men to begin having second thoughts about what they were about to do. Dean couldn't take the guilt anymore and spoke up,<p>

"Do we really have to do this, Ricky?" he almost sounded like he was pleading. "I mean, just look at her, will you? She helped us get this far, didn't she?" Ricky clenched his fists and sighed angrily, but couldn't bring himself to look at the young woman.

"I know tat, Dean. I know tat better 'den any of ya, but don't press ye luck," he gritted his teeth as he watched the numbers tick off slowly. "Dis is the plan and we stickin' to it, damnit. Ya understand tat?"

"I understand, but it's still not right and you know-" Dean didn't have a chance to finish as Ricky swung, connecting with the man's jaw and forcing him into the wall.

"I warned ye not ta press ya luck," Ricky snarled. Dean held his face, shocked and pissed off that his friend had lashed out at him for speaking his mind on the situation. The others were just as appalled at the sudden outburst, but didn't voice any objections as the elevator chimed at its destination.

"Let's get this over with, boys." Ricky stood aside as Charlie and Russ moved Shilo down the long, dim hall towards the office at the end, followed by Jack and the remaining man with braided black hair and hazel eyes. He then looked at Dean, whose face was beginning to bruise with black and blue splotches.

"Suck it up, Dean," and he stalked after his companions. The wounded man groaned in pain and defeat then reluctantly moved to catch up. When the infiltrators reached the end of the seemingly long walk, Russ glanced at everyone once for a split second, purposely avoiding Shilo, and knocked on the door…

* * *

><p>James Serano watched in awe and disbelief as the squad of GENcops hauled an unconscious Shilo Wallace to what would most likely be her death. When they got into the elevator, he caught a hard look from one of the drones and almost thought he recognized him, but didn't get to study the face further because the car closed and began its ascent. As things returned to some semblance of order, he made his exit to the morgue upstairs to relay this new development to his "partner," as it were. She would not be happy when she learned of this, if she didn't know already, and if she did, she was probably working on a way to salvage the situation. The metal doors opened with the familiar <em>whoosh<em> as he pressed the entry button and was greeted with the sight of Alexandra at her autopsy table, bent over the corpse of none other than Luigi Largo.

* * *

><p>I was about to make the Y-incision into the late Luigi's chest when I heard the <em>whoosh<em> of air followed by the _clomp_ of heavy boots.

"Something wrong, James?" I asked, looking up at the Repo Man to see him remove his head covering. It was still weird for me to call him by his first name when I just about hated the man, but if we all were to get out of here with our skins, I had to play along. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, as he seemed to catch onto something.

"Where'd you find that thing?" he asked, pointing at my head.

"I picked it back up when I snatched this stiff," I answered, tugging on my original blonde wig. I turned my attention back to my cadaver. "Now, what's up?" He then remembered why he came to the morgue.

"We may have to alter our original plan." I stopped mid-slice, blood welling up in the cut.

"What do you mean 'alter?" I looked up at him and he came close until he was directly in front of me.

"I saw your 'friend' in the lobby, and the situation was not a favorable one for her." My jaw dropped, along with the scalpel, as the information sunk in: Shilo had been caught and was being hauled up to Amber, and was more than likely in her office right now.

"Fuck!" I shouted, stomping back and forth. "I told her to be careful, damnit!" Right at that second, one of my underlings came running up. I'd forgotten she was even in here.

"Miss Norton, are you alight?"

"I'm fine, Nadia," I lowered my voice slightly and waved her off. She still stood there.

"But I thought-"

"I fuckin' said I'm fine!" I roared so loud that even Serano jumped. "Now get back to work, Ringo, or I'll have you repoed right now!" The poor girl bolted back to her station without another word, and for a minute, I felt bad for yelling at her, but it's what she gets for not bugging off when I told her to.

"Wow, remind me never to piss you off," Serano joked, and I glared at him.

"You've already done that numerous times before, which it's a wonder you're still standing, asshole." He just grinned. I wanted to smack him.

"Anyway, if you would kindly calm down and lower your voice," he paused as I retrieve my scalpel and cleaned it off. "We need to figure out how to get your 'friend' out of some very nasty trouble, lest this plan go to shit."

"So what do you suggest, James?" I asked, resuming my slicing into Luigi. Despite him being a Largo, Amber still wanted his GeneCo organs removed so they could be reused. Gruesome, I know, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some small satisfaction out of it. Okay, a lot of satisfaction.

"What I'm suggesting is that I take a repo job up to Amber like your 'live case' did," he was referring to Graverobber, whom I had still yet to hear from, "while you come with me to personally deliver a progressive diagnosis on the late Luigi Largo." I had finished the Y and had grabbed my rib shears to cut through the bones that were shielding the mechanical heart. I looked at Serano to indicate that I'd been listening.

"It's a way to get close to what's going on," I focused my attention on the task at hand. "Just give me a minute to get this heart out." Without damaging any internal organs, I effortlessly cut the ribs then secured the loose tissue with toothed forceps and briefly examined how the heart was structured. I clipped the aorta, snipped the real veins and arteries from the metallic ones, and gently lifted the steampunk-style life supporter out of the chest cavity. Placing it in a deep stainless steel pan, I called to Nadia to come it up then cleaned myself up quickly, pulled the covering back over the body, and turned back to Serano, who'd been watching the whole procedure.

"What can I say? I work fast," I waited for Nadia to disappear with the heart. "Go grab your repossession and let's get upstairs."

"You _do_ work fast," he commented, putting on his headgear. "I'm surprised you're not a Repo." I shook my head as he vanished to another part of the morgue then came back holding a biohazard parcel.

"I prefer them already dead. The live ones squirm too much." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall," and we left the morgue.

**Side note: I tried my best to make Ricky sound Irish, so if I screwed up, apologies! Please don't hate me for it.**


	24. Caught in the Shark's Jaws

**A/N: Not bad. Less that a month between updates and it's almost finished. I don't know how many more chapters it's going to be, but I do know it'll be less than five. As always, please R&R!**

**Chapter Twenty-Four – Caught in the Shark's Jaws**

When Amber was about to answer, as well as voice the fact that she knew who helped the dealer, someone knocked, and rather loudly at that, on the office door. Without a word, Graverobber pointed at the door, indicating for Amber to answer it while he replaced the Repo Man helmet just in case it was a goon squad. The CEO carefully stood up while cradling her wrist, stepped over Pavi's silent form, and looked through the eyehole to see whom it was. What she saw surprised and delighted her so much that she shoved the propped up chair aside and yanked open the door before either Graverobber or her brother could say anything.

"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it," Pavi turned to see what she was talking about and was struck dumb, along with Graverobber.

"Miss Sweet: we have something you've been looking for," one of the GENcops spoke in a monotone. "I believe she'll be of great value to you." Trying to keep her composure at this sudden turn of events, Amber stepped aside as the drones dragged Shilo into the office as she was slowly starting to come around and become aware of her surroundings.

"Where did you find her?" Amber shook her head. "No, never mind. I don't care. Just put her on the couch." The cops roughly dropped the black-haired girl onto the velvet green couch by the wall, and during the whole ordeal, the _faux_ Repo Man didn't say a word, as he was shell-shocked beyond belief.

"Excellent. Now, take my brother to the surGENs immediately. He has a broken leg that needs to be treated," Amber ordered, moving closer to the semi-conscious Shilo like a cat moving in on a cornered mouse. So focused was she on the one person she'd been looking for since her father died that it took her injured brother's high voice to make her realize that the officers had yet to move to follow her orders.

"What's-a the matter with you-a morons?" Pavi demanded from the floor. "Help-a me up, damnit!" The cops still didn't move, and that was when Graves noticed that these six were not your right-off-the-line mindless drones. He smirked, though no one could see it, and decided then to play this lucky hand.

"Gentlemen, may I ask you to kindly escort Mr. Largo to his doctor?" The wounded man looked perplexed just as Amber was turning around to address the situation. "I believe he was a badly broken leg that needs to be examined before it gets infected." Shilo's somewhat foggy mind recognized that confident, cocky voice, but she still couldn't speak as the drug that she'd been given had paralyzed her vocal chords temporarily, until another voice cut through the air like a razor.

"If we didn't listen to t'at egotistical bitch," said bitch's eyes went round at that remark, "t'en why t'e bloody hell should we listen ta ye, assassin?" that Irish accent spoke very crudely, and it finally registered: Ricky hadn't betrayed her at all! He had made sure that they succeeded in their plans, and Shilo couldn't hold back the tears that formed in her eyes.

"I don't care who the fuck you are, but nobody and I mean NOBODY, talks about me like that, especially not some mindless drone!"

"I think it would be wise for a woman in your position, Amber, to not push his buttons," Shilo had regained control of her voice. "He can be very volatile."

"Kid! You're alright!" Graverobber exclaimed, throwing the head covering aside, causing the mysterious six to do the same. The Largos couldn't fathom that this was all an elaborate scheme to get the black market Zydrate dealer out of Amber's clutches.

"Ya didn't t'ink we'd betrayed ye now, lass?" Ricky grinned while his companions drew their weapons, insuring that no one was going anywhere without their say-so. Shilo shook her head and smiled back.

"I would've done the same in your position," she seemed to remember where she was and straightened up, "but we'll talk about that later. We have more pressing matters to attend to." She then moved with an air of authority and sat behind Amber's desk as if she already had control of GeneCo.

"Just what do you think you're doing, you sheltered brat!" The older woman screamed and went to jump at her, but Jack and Dean were able to restrain her until she somewhat calmed down, and even then, they didn't let go.

"Doing what I should've done two years ago, Amber. Now, kindly shut up." Shilo quickly looked at Russ and Charlie. "Take Pavi to his doctor and make sure he keeps his mouth shut." The two men complied while donning their disguises and, much to the face-stealer's discomfort, hoisted him up and hauled him rather quickly downstairs. Graverobber secured the door as Ricky moved to stand beside Shilo while Jack and Dean sat Amber down in a chair, where she just crossed her arms and fumed.

'I can't believe this is happening to me,' she thought bitterly. 'If I'm not careful, I could wind up dead.' She became aware that Shilo was talking.

"… a way to keep this whole thing under control. I see no need for any more deaths." A tear ran down Amber's cheek as she thought of her brother in the morgue. Shilo leaned forward.

"You _will_ sign GeneCo over to me, and if you do so unconditionally, I shall give you and Pavi a choice as to whether you will stay or go." The CEO perked up at the proposal and opened her mouth to reply but the black-haired girl stopped her.

"If you decide to stay, you will have to answer to me and if I hear one word of possible deception, your ass _will_ be repoed." Amber's jaw dropped at that last bit, forcing her to think about it for a few moments as silence reigned around the room. Graverobber fidgeted just noticeably as he was anxious to get out of there, but he knew Shilo had to do this right, so he kept his mouth shut.

"What say ye, Miss Largo?" Ricky asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Amber looked at him then into the dark brown eyes of Nathan Wallace's daughter. What choice did she really have? If she chose to stay, she'd have to play nice, and if she decided to leave, she'd more thank likely have to sink to prostitution to get money for food, not to mention for Zydrate if she even hung around on the island. But what about Pavi? What would happen to him? Surely, he wouldn't be able to swipe face like he'd always done, as it would probably get him killed, just like Luigi's impulses had done to him.

"You say that you're giving me options," Amber said slowly, hoping she was playing her cards right. "What about my brother?" Shilo glanced up at Ricky, who only growled in response and clenched a fist.

"He will be prohibited from taking women's faces," Amber nodded, "as well as pay reparations to my partner for what he did to his family." The Irishman visibly relaxed. "Also, Pavi will be encouraged to undergo facial reconstruction so that he will not be tempted to slip back into his old ways."

"Facial reconstruction?" Amber was confused, causing Graverobber to roll his eyes.

"It's been done for years," he explained. "Freakazoid would just be getting his real face back. A little more complex than an organ transplant, bust just as effective." The older woman glowered at him for calling her brother "Freakazoid," and he only smirked in response. She went silent once more as everything suck in and, after a few minutes, she answered,

"I accept your proposal, Shilo," she did her best to keep her voice from cracking, but it wasn't easy. "As much as I may not like it, I can admit when I've been beaten," she then turned to the dealer. "You're free to go, Graverobber," she sighed heavily. "I now realize that I wanted what I couldn't have." Shilo then produced a document, stating the discussed arrangement and slid it forward with a pen so Amber could sign it. She was a bit surprised, but also slightly impressed.

"Had this planned for a while, haven't you?" she asked as she wrote her signature. Shilo cracked a half a smile.

"It was one plan of many." She put her own signature on the paper and extended a hand to the former CEO, who was shocked by the gesture. She hesitantly took the offered hand and shook it.

"Jack. Dean," the men nodded. "Will you take Miss Sweet to check on her brother and inform him of the situation?" It was at that point that she noticed Amber's injury. "Have a surGEN set her wrist while you're there." When Jack opened the door, however, there was another surprise standing behind it: A blonde GENtern and a Repo Man with a wide-brimmed hat set over his helmet.


	25. Dealings and Changes

**A/N: I know, I know it's been a while since I've updated this and I do apologize immensely. First of all, a big Zydrate thank you to all those who have stuck with me through my horrible writer's block as of late, as well as everything else that has randomly sprung up in my life. Second, I am very close to concluding this fanfic; probably another four to five chapters. As always, please read and review!**

**Chapter Twenty-Five – Dealings and Changes**

_When Jack opened the door, however, there was another surprise standing behind it: A blonde GENtern and a Repo Man wearing a wide-brimmed hat set over his helmet._

"This day is just full of surprises, isn't it?" Amber said sarcastically, eyeing the unusual pair. "What the hell do you two want? Can't you see I'm on my way out?" The blonde looked from the CEO to the cops then back again.

I was going to hate myself later for this.

"Apologies, Miss Sweet, but I have a progressive report on the late Mr. Largo and I thought that you would want to hear it in person." Amber's blue eyes left me and landed on James, who had yet to say anything. He just silently lifted his biohazard parcel, and she just groaned.

"Just put it in the office and I'll deal with it later," she straightened up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see Pavi." We stood aside as the GENcops practically dragged the bitch to the elevator and descended.

"Well that was strange." I stepped inside the office to see a single drone with spiked brown hair, standing with his weapon drawn and trained on us. I heard James shift into a fighting stance and was about to do the same when I saw that familiar head of multicolored hair. I put a hand on the Repo Man's arm, indicating for him to relax, and he did but only the slightest bit. The drone still hadn't taken his sight off of us until a strong, young voice cut through the air.

"Let them through, Matt. They don't know what's transpired here yet." The lackey moved aside and I saw what I'd hoped for since this whole mess started. However, before I could say anything, Graverobber spun around and jumped on me.

"Bones!" he exclaimed while enveloping me in a bear hug. "I thought I was gonna have to come and get your cute ass and drag it up here!"

"Nice to see you too, Graves." I hugged him back as Serano closed the door behind him and stood silently. That was when my lover let go of me and narrowed his eyes as the legal assassin.

"What's he doing here?" I threw a quick glance over my shoulder and grinned, pulling my wig off.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, babe. He's on our side. James Serano, this is Graverobber." The slasher removed his head covering and held out a hand while placing his wide-brimmed hat on his head. The dealer reluctantly shook his hand, but quickly turned his attention back to me.

"Never thought you'd partner up with a Repo Man." I shrugged.

"Never thought I would either, but given the current circumstances, there was no choice," I looked over at the desk that Shilo was sitting at. "However, it seems that things went according to plan after all." She then came around and gave me a friendly hug.

"Glad to see you made it, Bones," she stepped back. "After your last transmission, I thought you might've been captured by Luigi. Speaking of which, he's the only one we haven't encountered." I waved off her concern.

"No need to worry about him, Kid," I smiled sinisterly at Graverobber, who returned a grin just as malicious. "We took care of him shortly after we met up again." Her eyes went wide for a second then she just shrugged.

"One less Largo to deal with."

"'Scuse me fer interupptin', love, but who be 'dis?" The dark-haired man who'd been standing next to the desk regarded me with suspicion.

"It's alright, Ricky. Bones is one of the few friends I've had when I was stuck at my parents' house." The Irishman tipped his head to me in greeting and I returned the gesture. That was when Serano cleared his throat.

"While I hate to spoil the reunion, there's still the little issue of us getting out of here alive." Everyone in the room looked at him, so he continued. "A lot of people saw you guys come in here," he indicated to the rebels and Shilo, "so I highly doubt that walking out the front door is an option. And who knows whether or not Amber's running her mouth to her security forces and plotting to kill us all." The response was not what he expected: we all laughed.

"You know, for someone who has to have a thorough knowledge of human anatomy and dissection, you ain't very bright," Matt taunted. I saw James' eyes flicker at the snide remark. "We have four of our men with Amber and Pavi, so there's no need to worry about any retaliation." The glare dropped from the slasher's eyes, as he really couldn't argue with the strategy.

"Being a Repo doesn't make you very trusting, does it Serano?" Graverobber asked with a smirk. He never could resist pushing someone's buttons further, and I would know.

"I could say the same about you, Gravy," James shot back. The smirk left Graves' face instantly.

"You better watch it, pal. You may have helped my girlfriend get up here, but if you don't be careful, you're gonna end up like Luigi."

"Ha! Like I'm afraid of a pipsqueak like you. I'll bet you couldn't take down a delinquent organ payer if you tried!"

"Alright boys. That's enough, unless you wanna deal with me, and don't say that I couldn't beat the shit out of both of you." I stepped between them to keep the verbal match from turning into a physical one. I heard Ricky snicker and Shilo let out a muffled giggle.

"Can I have my clothes, James?" Without a word and his eyes still on Graves, he handed me the biohazard parcel and I pulled a wrapped bag out of it then opened a door to my right, revealing a moderately sized bathroom. I stepped inside as a smattering of conversation started, but I didn't pay attention to it. I kicked off the white high-heeled boots and practically tore off the short white dress and plastic red mask then delicately removed the brown-colored contacts, forcing me to blink several times. After putting the eyewear in its case, I quickly put on my bra, a long-sleeve black shirt, skinny black jeans, socks, and jump boots.

While I was lacing them up, I heard a crash and sudden yelling, followed by what sounded like a scuffle. Quickly throwing the discarded uniform into the parcel, I ran out of the bathroom to see Ricky and Matt attempting to separate Graves and Serano, who had apparently resumed their confrontation. The chairs in the room were turned over while the desk looked like it's been shoved back violently. Shilo was standing clear of the wrestling match, shaking her head in disappointment. I stepped over to her first.

"I probably don't need to ask, but what the hell happened?"

She looked up at me. "The Repo Man said that you told him that he was better in bed than your current lover, and Graverobber obviously got pissed that the guy basically called you a slut and just pounced on him," she turned her attention back to the chaos. "Graves said that there's no way you'd do that."

"Damn straight I wouldn't do that." My own anger was beginning to flare up. "Serano just doesn't know when to shut his fucking trap when it comes to his fantasy of wanting to fuck me." I crossed my arms over my chest as Ricky finally managed to get some leverage on Graves, giving Matt the opportunity to hold fast to Serano. "He's been trying to do that ever since I maneuvered my way in her. Excuse me, Kid." I walked over to the men and stopped right in front of the slasher-by-trade. He looked confused at first but that quickly dissolved to shock when my fist connected with his jaw, forcing his head to jerk sideways, followed by a shot of blood from his mouth. I saw Matt trying to hold back his laughter while Ricky, Shilo, and Graves were less successful in hiding their mirth.

When the night surgeon regained enough composure to face me, his expression resembled a storm cloud but it was nowhere near the fury I was feeling.

"I already warned you before we teamed up, Serano," I began, placing an emphasis on his last name, "as to what would happen if you got out of line. By telling my boyfriend that I slept with you is seriously crossing that line and gives me grounds to beat the shit out of you, which you know first-hand I can do." My temper was slowly cooling off and did so even more when I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. "However, since it looks as though you were already given a decent beating by my man and a good wallop from myself, I think you've finally gotten the point that you will never, EVER have me." I left off at that to see what his reaction would be, and after a minute of silent contemplation, James' face contorted into an expression of defeat.

"It's clear to me now that my fantasy will only remain a fantasy." He didn't even crack a smile, which meant that the message had finally gotten through his thick skull. "I'm sorry for what I said about you. I guess I was just jealous of Graverobber for being the only man in your life." I felt said man put an arm around my shoulders.

"I don't blame you for being jealous, James," he said while displaying a smile. "If it were reversed, I'd probably feel the same. If you ever say anything like that about her again, I will personally make you pay for it. You got me?" The Repo Man only nodded sullenly as Matt released his hold on him then he proceeded to the bathroom to nurse his injuries. That was when I directed my full attention to Vlad.

"Are you okay? How many hits did he get on you? Do I have to slug him again-" He silenced my questions with a kiss that warmed me all over and left me slightly dazed.

"I'm fine, Bones," his blue eyes danced. "I've taken worse beatings than that in my life." He laid a hand on my cheek. "I just knew what he said about you wasn't true and I couldn't let him get away with it," he paused for a moment. "Although, I'm surprised that you only punched him. Why didn't you administer a beat-down?" It wasn't a loaded question and I found myself wondering as to why I didn't do that.

"Honestly, Graverobber?" He nodded, indicating that he wanted to know. "I wanted to see if I could get the facts through his fat head that I was never going to sleep with him, and since kicking his ass outright numerous times didn't work, I figured I'd try a more diplomatic approach." It was true, seeing as how the beatings never did get the message across.

"Hence, the right hook and declaration of intent." He brought me into a hug. "Never pictured you for being diplomatic," he said with a smirk, causing me to smile.

"You should've seen the way I handled DJ." Shilo giggled at that one, but stopped when a knock resounded throughout the room. Signaling everyone to be quiet and drawing his gun, Matt moved to the door just as James was emerging from the bathroom. Ricky motioned for the assassin to be silent and keep clear in case things went awry. The rebel then twisted the knob and swung the wooden barrier open to see the Largo siblings standing there with their four armed escorts. Amber's wrist had been set with a splint and Pavi's leg was in a full cast so he couldn't move it, which must've been why two of the cops were holding him up. Matt instantly drew his gun back, allowing them to enter then shut the door.

Amber look around to see the furniture in disarray, "Looks like I missed all the fun," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wouldn't you say, Pavi?" Her brother didn't respond. He was too busy staring at me with his mouth gaping open, which looked absolutely ridiculous with the fake face.

"Long time, no see, Largo," I said, placing my hands on my hips.

"Who the fuck are you, bitch?" Amber spat, forcing me to focus on her.

"Never mind who she is, Amber," Shilo interjected. "Have you made your decision yet?" The plastic bitch was cut short by the younger woman's question, as well as confused then a light seemed to turn on behind her sapphire-colored eyes.

"Of course, Miss Wallace," she slowly sat on the couch, looking as if she was trying to maintain some sort of dignity. "My brother has agreed to undergo reconstructive surgery, and we both will stay with the company, with you as CEO." I was honestly surprised by the choice and I wasn't the only one. Graves was also stunned into silence as we both thought that Amber would never give up GeneCo to anyone, Shilo Wallace least of all. The rebel GENcops went about rearranging the office furniture when the black-haired girl asked her next question,

"What about Pavi paying the necessary reparations to my partner?" Amber looked at her remaining brother, who was being helped into a chair.

The Italian-speaking man let out a sigh that sounded like air escaping from a balloon, and glanced at the Irishman. "Name-a your price-a, sir."

"$500,000 mate." The dark-eyed man didn't hesitate. "Fer five years." 2.5 million? It seemed pretty steep but Pavi didn't even flinch.

"Done," and held out his hand. Before shaking it to close the deal, Ricky had one more condition.

"I want ye word first, Largo."

"On-a my Papa's grave, sir." Ricky grinned a set of somewhat yellowed teeth (probably from smoking too much) and shook the offered hand.

"I'd say that settles the initial negotiations," Shilo sat behind the desk and her partner stood next to her. "Now we shall discuss the details for Amber's new position and the procedure for Pavi's surgery."

Before she could continue, one of the _faux_ cops spoke up, "I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't one of us inform the staff about the change in management? Sooner or later, someone's bound to start asking questions," he turned his gaze to Amber. "I wouldn't be surprised it the surGENs were already spreading gossip." He narrowed his brown eyes at the seemingly innocent woman.

"I'd have to agree with you, Jack," Shilo said, also looking at the former CEO. "Take Dean with you to have Amber inform the heads of each department as to what has transpired and give them the option to stay or leave." Groaning in what could only be annoyance but quickly silencing it when she saw all the hard stares, the surgery-obsessed bitch moved to be escorted once more to the lower levels by Dean and Jack.

I decided to make myself comfortable and sat on the couch, where Graverobber joined me only seconds later. This whole thing could definitely take a while, but I wasn't concerned as I settled into Vlad's arms, where I found myself suddenly exhausted as it dawned on me that I hadn't really slept in four days. As I dozed off, I heard the Kid start talking to Pavi, with the Irishman interjecting every now and then.


	26. Drinks All Around

**A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated but this chapter was giving me a lot of problems. I friend of mine gave me the proverbial kick in the ass I need to get this done, and it kind of came out better than I expected. Of course, I'll let all you loyal readers be the judges of that.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six – Drinks All Around**

I was rudely jarred awake by a door slamming open roughly an hour later and a certain piercing voice shrieking away. Not something you'd want to wake up to.

"I can't believe this!" That was Amber. "Those leeches actually looked happy that I wasn't in charge anymore! After everything my family's done for them, how could they possibly-"

"Amber, please," Shilo effectively cut her off mid-tirade. "You are being unnecessarily loud and I already have a headache forming, so could you kindly lower your voice?" It was more of a demand than a question, but it did the trick as she immediately shut up. Then again, she really didn't have a choice either. It was then I noticed Jack and Dean had entered quietly, both wearing huge grins at what had taken place on the lower levels. Judging from their expressions and Amber's over-the-top reaction, the employees were thrilled that she was no longer in charge of their lives and she was royally pissed about it. I chuckled at the thought: If she hadn't been so absorbed with finding Shilo and enhancing her outside appearance, maybe she would've been able to see what was going on in the company. I looked over at her silent, pissed off face. Or maybe not.

* * *

><p><em>Downstairs…<em>

Word quickly spread like the Black Plague that the infamous Largo siblings were no longer the owners of GeneCo and to say that the staff was ecstatic would've been an understatement. Upon hearing this unexpected news, all work ceased (save for the organ transplants, of course) and everyone gathered in the ballroom that was attached to the dusty opera theatre. Rumors had circulated that the ghosts of Blind Mag, Rotti Largo, and Nathan Wallace haunted the place on a nightly basis, reenacting that night of the Genetic Opera. In the ballroom, the GENterns, GENcops, and most of the surGENs gathered around the bar that ran the length of one wall and proceeded to drink themselves into an almost euphoric stupor.

Nadia Ringo and Diane Taylor were among their colleagues as they all celebrated the change of events.

"I never thought that Shilo Wallace was still alive, much less that she would take over GeneCo," Diana said as she sipped on a mixture of tequila and lemon-lime juice.

Nadia nodded in agreement. "I know. I didn't think that Amber Sweet would ever give up control, but then again, I also didn't think that Luigi would end up dead like he did either." At that statement, the entire room seemed to stop as if a switch had been flipped. Everyone stared at the GENterns as though they has spoken blaspheme in the Vatican. Apparently, it wasn't widely known that the eldest Largo had met an untimely death and these two had just dropped the bomb.

One surGEN strolled up to them. "What the hell are you going on about?" His speech was already somewhat slurred. "I saw Luigi the other day and he was just fine." A chorus of affirmations circulated around the group, though more than a few couldn't deny the relief they felt upon hearing that the knife-wielding maniac was no longer alive.

"It's true," Nadia sipped her Gin & Tonic. "He's on the slab in the autopsy lab right now. Miss Norton just removed his heart maybe twelve hours ago." It was at that moment she glanced around the room. "Speaking of which, I wonder why we haven't seen her yet."

Diane shrugged. "Maybe she finally gave in to James Serano," she snickered over the rim of her glass.

"Unlikely," Nadia finished her drink. "I'm gonna go look for her. See ya, Diane."

"Later, Nadia," and Diane went to get herself another lemon-lime tequila.

* * *

><p><em>In the CEO's office…<em>

"Now please sit down so we can calmly figure out where you will work in the company since you've decided to stay," Shilo spoke politely while gesturing to a chair. Unable or unwilling to argue, Amber took a seat and crossed her legs. I pushed myself into a better sitting position as I knew that I wouldn't get anymore sleep while we were still here. Vlad stood up and stretched, although he seemed eager to get out of the stolen Repo Man's uniform, and back to the graveyards.

"I suppose I can't argue with that proposition," I heard Amber say. I hadn't heard what Shilo presented to her. "I have been looking to… redeem myself after the blunder at the Genetic Opera." I saw the Kid smile halfway.

"I thought that might spark your interest. You may use the theatre for whatever you wish but do not spend all your time there," she paused to rub her tired eyes. "You will also be one of my personal assistants." The reaction from the bitch was not one I'd expected.

"That sounds like a better deal than living on the streets." Something in her voice didn't strike me as right, and Shilo and Ricky didn't seem to notice but that might have been due to the fact that they were both exhausted. Of course, I may have been reading too much into things because of my own brain's fogginess, not to mention a lack of coffee. Speaking of which…

"Hey," I spoke up rather loudly. Everyone in the room stared at me. "Anyone know where I can get some coffee?" Pavi instantly perked up.

"If-a you will-a follow me-a, Bella, I shall-a show you to the-a kitchen." Before I could say anything, Graverobber shot back,

"She's not going anywhere alone with you, Freakazoid," he put the Repo Man's helmet back on. "I'm coming too." While he was obviously perturbed by the rude comment, Pavi just slowly stood up, careful not to put too much pressure on his broken leg.

"I could use some caffeine myself." That was Serano.

"Bring me back a cup too, would ya?" Shilo asked, rubbing her temples.

"Sure thing, Shi," I winked at her. "Ricky, you or your boys want any?"

"No thanks, luv," Ricky replied while the other rebels just shook their heads. As soon as Graves and Serano were ready, I turned to the remaining Largo brother.

"Lead the way, Pavi," and he opened the door.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere in the tower…<em>

Nadia wasn't having much luck locating her superior, especially since there was about a million places she could be. When she couldn't locate Alexandra Norton at any of the usual GENtern gathering places, she decided to check the labs and her office. Coming upon her supervisor's workspace when she wasn't dissecting a cadaver, the young purple-haired woman noticed that the door was halfway open and it was almost always closed.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Nadia slowly pushed her way in, only to find that nothing looked out of the ordinary, save for the pile of documents threatening to tumble from the desk to the floor. Deciding to make things a little bit easier for her superior, she neatly organized everything into three piles: repo jobs, non-repo jobs, and insurance claims.

As she was straightening the last stack, she saw a long clipboard that had a picture of that live case, which had been brought to the labs. Picking it up, she read that he was scheduled for repossession whether he gave up supposed pertinent information or not, and had been put on the list by Amber herself.

While it was strange, it wasn't extremely unusual and Nadia decided not to snoop around in here any further, lest she find something she shouldn't. She didn't want to think about what Alexandra might do if she found out that one of her underlings had gone through her personal things.

Closing the door behind her, she walked a few yards down the hall to the labs and pressed the button to enter. As the steel doors closed behind her with a silent _whoosh_, the sheet that was covering Luigi's body fluttered a bit before settling down again. Nadia shuddered involuntarily and cursed herself for being a superstitious baby before moving slowly into the unusually quiet dissection room. Granted, most of the employees were celebrating in the ballroom, there should have been at least _one_ person in here working on something. Moving carefully as if anything abrupt might disturb the bodies in here, she looked everywhere she could think of but still no sign of the head mortician.

A sudden _thud_ and a loud curse caused the young woman to jump a mile and knock into an empty table, causing some of the instruments to clatter to the floor. As she quickly turned around to pick up the effects of her blunder, she heard someone rush up behind her and grab her roughly by the shoulder. Being spun around so fast caused her feel somewhat disoriented for a moment before her scared emerald eyes looked up into the illuminated ones of a Repo Man, and judging by the stains on his uniform, he'd just come back from a job on the streets.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked gruffly with a bit of scorn.

"I-I was j-just looking for Miss Norton, b-but I-I guess she's n-n-not here."

"No, she's not," he let go of her. "Beat it." Nadia didn't have to be told twice.


	27. Coffee or Cyanide?

**A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated (yet again), but life can be a crazy companion. A big thanks to all those who have stuck with me for this long and also to all the new readers. All the Favorites and Follows help to spark my creativity. Hope you all like this newest installment, and as always, R&R!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – Coffee or Cyanide?**

Nadia raced as fast as her heeled shoes could carry her, without stumbling, back to the ballroom. Not even bothering to slow her pace, she threw open the double doors, desperately looking around for her colleague and spotted Diane at the bar, laughing with Angela Caspian at some joke that one of the cops had told them. Shoving her way through the drunken crowd without so much as an apology, she quickly grabbed Diane and Angela, and trying to catch her breath, said,

"I need… to talk to… both of you… right now." At first, the GENterns didn't want to leave the party, but Nadia insisted, "I know you're having a great time but this is really important and you guys know I don't exaggerate or overreact about anything." Neither Angela nor Diane could argue with her, so the three of them navigated through the cluster out into the mostly quiet hallway. Once out there though, Nadia shook her purple head.

"Not here. Too many ears could just wander by," she glanced around briefly. "Let's go in there," she pointed to the side door that lead to the old theatre. Her colleagues stared at her as if she were nuts but didn't say a word as they went inside and sat near the back as if they might need to make a quick exit.

"Now, what the fucking hell is so damn important that you had to pull me away from the best party in my life since I started this damn job?" Angela demanded, leveling a gold-and-green glare at the frightened GENtern.

"Is there something wrong with Miss Norton?" Diane asked with concern in her autumn orange eyes.

"For all I know, there may be, but I couldn't find her. That's not why I'm freaked out though." She fell silent.

"Well, why then!" Angela yelled as she was rapidly getting frustrated.

"You guys will probably think I've gone insane but I couldn't think of who else to turn to," she took a deep breath. "I swear to every god there is that I saw Nathan Wallace in the repo lab." There. Now it was out in the open.

At first, none of them said a word then Angela burst out laughing, followed by Diane. Nadia glared at them but it only made them laugh more. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for them to finish mocking her. When they finally quit, with tears in their eyes, she snapped,

"Glad you guys think it's so fucking funny, but you'd think different if you actually saw the 'supposed-to-be-dead' bastard, not to mention have him touch you." She pointed to the palm-shaped bruise on her shoulder that was now turning deep red-brown.

At the sight of the injury, both GENterns now wore identical looks of shock.

"Are you sure it wasn't one of the other Repo Men just trying to spook you?" Diane asked, running a nervous hand through her red-white-and-blue hair. Her voice didn't carry very much confidence in the question.

"Come on, Diane. Do you really take me for that much of an idiot?" When she didn't reply, Nadia plowed forward. "Look, I know what this sounds like, but I swear I saw him and I know that no other Repo Man has the same head mirror on his helmet that Wallace did."

After a few moments of silence, Angela said, "Well, if you're so damn sure about it, why don't we all go to the lab and see for ourselves?"

"Fine," Nadia stood up. "I'll do it if it'll prove to you guys that I'm not nuts," and she walked off in a huff to the side door with her two colleagues close behind…

* * *

><p>I couldn't suppress the yawn anymore and let it out as Pavi lead Vlad, Serano, and myself to the enormous kitchen that was surprisingly empty, not to mention more than a little creepy. I had to laugh at myself for that thought.<p>

'You rob corpses and now work in a morgue dissecting bodies, and you find an empty kitchen creepy?' I shoved the little annoying voice aside when Vlad grabbed my hand and gently pulled me along.

"This-a way please, senors and-a senorita," the Largo screeched as he navigated to one of the many large stainless steels counters that displayed a variety of appliances, some of which I couldn't tell what the hell they were. At least I was able to identify the various coffee makers.

"How-a do you like-a your coffee, Bella?" he was asking me. I turned my attention to him, just to see his eyes openly roaming my figure.

Rolling mine, I simply shot back, "Viennese roast, preferably from India, in a French press." The men all looked at me as if I had spouted off an obscure language. "Oh, for the love of Hecate, I'll do it my fucking self!"

"No, no. I-a know exactly what you-a want," the weirdo turned. "And for the-a gentlemen?"

"Just a regular black for me," Graverobber said.

"Me too," Serano seconded. Pavi turned his back to us and rummaged through the cupboards until he found everything he needed then proceeded to fulfill our requests.

As I was waiting for my French press, I pulled up a chair from a small nearby table, sat down and closed my heavy eyelids for a few minutes while Graves and Serano milled around in the immediate proximity, awaiting their own caffeine kicks. Just as I felt myself starting to drift off, a timer chirped, indicating that the brews were done. Groaning in disappointment, I stretched and stood to grab my much-needed fix, but the remaining brother had already put four steaming hot mugs on a tray and was about to attempt to carry it but Serano intercepted him.

"I'll take those, if you don't mind," the Repo Man said while carefully picking up the gold-edged coffee server. Pavi looked like he was about to protest then seemed to remember his leg and just let it be. As the legal assassin moved to exit the kitchen, I picked up the floral, chocolaty-smelling mug and took a small sip but immediately set it back down, causing some to splash out, as it was incredibly hot, hotter than what I was used to.

"You alright there, Bones?" Graves couldn't help but smirk. "That looked like it hurt." Serano started to snicker as he walked past us with Pavi in tow.

"Shut up, Graves," I mumbled with a growl. "You could've warned me that it was lava-hot, Largo!" I yelled after the face-stealing rapist. He only shrugged as he passed into the hallway.

"Come on Bonesy. We don't want to get lost in this maze." I only nodded as we hurried to catch up with the other members of our party…

* * *

><p>After frightening the purple-haired GENtern away, the mysterious Repo Man turned back to what he was doing. Since he'd spent the last two years in almost-total isolation, he had learned some new skills in addition to being a night surgeon and one of those he was about to put to use on the cadaver on the dissection table. Reaching into the black parcel on the side table, he pulled out a small bottle containing an oily black liquid and a fresh syringe. He quickly withdrew some of the strange concoction, tapped the needle to check for air bubbles then injected the entire dose into the corpse's heart. Sliding the sheet up to its chin, he took a step back and waited as he'd been instructed to do, though the entire process was nerve-wracking as all hell.<p>

The first thing that happened was that the cadaver's skin slowly lost the pale death color as the heart began the process of pumping blood again. He could also see the faintest movement under the sheet of toes and fingers, along with the smallest flutter of the eyelashes. After a few more agonizing moments of watching the skin regain its normal color, the back arched as the corpse sharply inhaled a breath and its eyes flew open. The Repo Man watched as the brown orbs darted around in what could only be disbelief and when they landed on him, he lifted his headpiece off and stepped forward, clumsily taking the cold hand under the sheet in his own. Though the lips moved, he couldn't hear what the resurrected person was saying from almost twenty years of disuse of the vocal cords.

After several attempts, he finally heard what they were trying to say, "Nathan?"

Nathan Wallace couldn't keep the tears from flowing. "Welcome back, Marni," he choked out. "I've missed you terribly." He leaned down to kiss her and she didn't resist his advance.

Of course, their reunion didn't last long as the steel barricade to the lab was opened and was followed by three pairs of footsteps. Nathan signaled for his wife to be silent and play dead as he slipped his head covering back on and stepped into a darkened room, his scalpel at the ready…

* * *

><p>"Now if you'll just sign here, we can all take a break for a while and maybe get some dinner," I heard Shilo saying to Amber as Graverobber, Serano, Pavi, and myself arrived back at the office with coffee. It had finally cooled off enough to where I could start sipping on my Indian brew.<p>

"Here you are, Shilo," Serano set the mug in front of the Kid and as Graves was pulling off the Repo helmet to take a sip of his own, I suddenly felt my breath start coming out in short gasps, followed by a weakness climbing its way up my legs, causing me to wobble. I dropped the coffee mug, hearing the ceramic shatter and the liquid splash onto the rug. The last thing I remember before completely blacking out was the sensation of falling then being caught in strong arms…

* * *

><p>As Amber wrote her signature on the contract outlining her new job specifications, she looked up to see Shilo's expression change from a tired smile to confusion, the coffee mug paused right before her lips. The older woman turned to see the female Zydrate dealer drop her own drink then pass out into the arms of Graverobber, all in a matter of a few seconds. As he was shaking her, trying to get her to wake up, Ricky abruptly slapped away Shilo's coffee, causing it to smash on the floor.<p>

"Wouldn't drink tat if I were ye," he warned, looking at the legal assassin, who quickly set his coffee on the desk.

"Bones! Bones! C'mon, Bones! Wake up, damnit! Wake up!" Graverobber was trying to get his girlfriend to open her eyes, to no avail. Her skin was starting to gain a reddish tint and her breathing was becoming more labored. Though he was on the verge of a major panic, Graves shot a glare at Pavi, who just looked smug.

"What the hell did you do to her, you fucking bastard?" Even Amber looked perplexed as everyone put their full attention on her brother. James Serano drew one of his more menacing surgical tools and slowly advanced on the remaining brother.

"Answer his question, Largo," he spoke in a tone that he used when dealing with his Repo jobs.

"If I-a did that, it would-a spoil the-a fun," and he let out a cackle that sent a chill down everyone's spine. That was when the Repo Man grabbed him by the throat and held the cutting tool at the jugular.

"You'll tell us, or I'll torture you slowly until you do," he glanced halfway over his shoulder at Amber. "I've been told that I'm very… good at it." He let the last three words slip out slow and dangerous, which caused the rapist to tremble under his grip.

"I-a didn't do it to-a just her, senor," his eyes flicked to the blade so close to his skin. "The same was-a done to all the-a coffee."

"What the hell was it, damnit!" Graverobber screamed, looking at Bones defeatedly. Her skin was getting even redder but her breathing was slowing down.

"Cyanide." Everyone's jaw dropped when that word was uttered, and the silence that followed hung like a smog cloud.


	28. Shot

**A/N: I know it's been about three months since I've updated, but I've had a lot of car work to take care of. This chapter may be a bit longer than the others but I do have quite a bit to cover before the end. As always, please R&R!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – Shot**

"Are you absolutely sure you saw Nathan Wallace, Nadia?" Angela asked as the GENterns slowly entered the lab. "Maybe all you had was an encounter with a ghost." The last bit was followed by a snicker, causing Nadia to glare at her colleague.

"Unless ghosts can physically cause harm like in _The Flatliners_, I'm pretty fucking sure it was Nathan Wallace! Now just shut up and help me look!" As before, it was unusually quiet, save for the central air system kicking on, causing the body sheets to flutter lightly.

"I never noticed how absolutely creepy this place was before," Diane whispered, as if someone was in there who could hear. As they ventured in further, Nadia saw another covered table that she hadn't noticed before.

"Either of you guys remember another body coming in after Luigi?" They shook their heads.

"Unless one of the Repo Men brought it in without telling us, but that's unlikely since we always get the paperwork." Angela said, her eyes darting around. "Something's not right here and I seriously think we should split."

"Not yet," Nadia took a step closer to the new arrival. "I wanna see who this is, or was." Before she could lift the sheet, however, there was a _thud_ then her wrist was snatched up and a surgical scalpel was at her throat.

"I thought I told you to beat it, GENtern," the harsh voice from earlier growled. "Now, I'm going to have to teach you how curiosity can kill the cat."

"Holy shit! She wasn't lying!" The Repo Man looked past Nadia to see Diane and Angela staring at him in shock, and in his lapse, his captive managed to yank herself free, with only a small scrap on her neck.

"I fucking told you guys!" Nadia yelled. She wasn't scared anymore, just pissed off that her colleagues didn't believe her to begin with.

"Well, well," the assassin cooed, "looks like I have three curious kittens to kill, but don't worry, ladies," he moved forward, "I can make the whole thing quick and painless."

"Nathaniel Wallace!" The feminine voice stopped the towering man dead in his tracks as if a switch had been flipped. The four watched as the supposedly dead person sat up on the cold metal table, pulled the sheet down to reveal their face and arms, and shot a death glare at the night surgeon, who immediately backed off and stood beside the "cadaver."

"That's better," the woman spoke while eying the other three, who stood absolutely speechless. After a few moments of tense silence, she spoke again,

"Would one of you girls be so kind as to get me some clothes? It's quite cold in here." Nathan looked at his resurrected wife as if he'd been slapped while Angela, who had recovered from her shock the quickest, darted to the closet that held the extra uniforms for GENterns, and managed to scrounge up a pair of jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, some socks, and running shoes that looked like they'd fit this strange woman.

"Thank you, dear," she said as Angela handed her the clothing.

"No problem, ma'am," the still somewhat shaken girl replied.

"Please, call me Marni," Marni said while slipping the shirt on. She slid on the jeans, causing the sheet to drop away then put on the socks and shoes.

"That's better," Marni looked over at the three shaken girls then to her husband, who had removed his head coverings. "So Nathan, seeing as how I've been dead for almost twenty ears, do you care to tell me what's gone on or where our daughter is?"

"He's in for it now," Angela whispered to Nadia, who cracked a small smile and nudged Diane in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?" Diana grumbled, rubbing the new sore spot. The gesture had snapped her out of her shock, and she realized what was going on. "Oh," she said slowly and turned to her colleagues. "I think we should go." The other two nodded, but as they started to move away, Marni interjected,

"You girls don't have to leave as you could also tell me what I've missed," she turned back to her husband. "Well Nathan?" The legal assassin sighed as he sat down next to her on the table.

"Many times I had asked your spirit to forgive me for everything I'd done, but now, I'm not so sure you will after I tell you everything." The GENterns had pulled up chairs so that they could listen to the story of horror that was about to unfold…

* * *

><p>"For the love of every god above, Pavi, are you really that fucking stupid?" Amber yelled while standing up. "I just, by the skin of my teeth, managed to negotiate a way for us to stay alive and you go off and pull a stunt like this!" Her well-manicured hands clenched into fists at her sides, despite the brace on one wrist. "Did you honestly think that was the only way to handle this?" She stepped closer to her remaining sibling, forcing James to move away reluctantly, although he knew better than to get in Amber's way. Pavi cracked his neck and flexed his shoulders.<p>

"Brother's death needed to-a be avenged, sister," he glanced down at Bones, who was still out cold. "I took-a care of his killers."

"I didn't drink any of your concoction, you moron." Graverobber snapped, not looking up from his girlfriend.

"Perhaps not, but when-a she dies, you shall die without her." He cackled again, and this time, Graves carefully stood up, moved over to the rapist in one stride, and punched him as hard as he could in the jaw. Pavi crashed to the floor, and when he looked up at his sister holding his face, she just stared through him as if he wasn't even there.

"While all of us would like to have done that ourselves, it wasn't completely necessary," Matt spoke up, causing all attention to focus on him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Graves asked, flexing his throbbing hand.

"I'm talking about there being an antidote to the cyanide poisoning, and if my hunch is correct, Mr. Largo used potassium cyanide." He paused for a moment as he searched through the medical archives in his mind. "She needs to receive a shot of sulfanegen TEA into the bicep or tricep muscles and she needs it soon." He looked at Amber, who was still burning holes into Pavi's head. "Miss Sweet?" she glanced at the rebel. "Can you call a surGEN to prepare the antidote?"

There was a long silence, so long that everyone thought that the former CEO didn't hear him then she answered,

"No," she forced herself to look back at her brother, who was trying to stand back up. "There's no time to find a surGEN and set up an operating room. We'll have to administer the antidote in the morgues." Snapping into action, she snatched Pavi's wrist-phone, and called up her personal GENtern to find the necessary drug and get her ass to the morgue. She didn't wait for a reply as she looked to Shilo for permission to go further with this on-the-fly plan. The young woman nodded in approval and Amber plowed forward.

"Matt, you come with me. Graverobber, you carry Bones. Ricky, you and the others stay here and keep an eye on Pavi. If her tries anything," she hesitated, " kill him." She deliberately avoided the hurtful look he gave her as she walked towards the door with the requested party following her. They all crowded into the elevator and she pressed a button for five floors down then glanced back at Bones in Graverobber's arms, and she looked like she was barely breathing.

'Why am I even doing this?' Amber thought to herself. 'I want this woman dead, but now I'm saving her.' When Graves looked up, she turned away, impatiently waiting for the doors to open. 'Maybe I actually _do_ have a heart.' When the elevator hit the right floor, everyone rushed down the hall to a set of steel doors with a bio-hazard symbol stamped into them. Coming from the opposite end of the hall was a GENtern with closely cropped platinum blond hair and bright pink eyes, carrying a small parcel bag.

"Perfect timing as usual, Meta," Amber addressed her as she approached. Meta smiled as she pressed the entry button for the morgues and the doors slid open with a _hiss_. The first table was still occupied by Luigi's body, but the one next to it was empty, which Graverobber practically sprinted to and gently laid Bones down on it. Matt stepped up and took her pulse, which was still there but it was becoming fainter.

"She needs the antidote. Now."

"Meta, go." Amber instructed her GENtern, who didn't waste a second as she went over to the prone body, filled the syringe with a bluish liquid, and shot the entire dose into the tricep of the right arm.

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they waited to see if the drug would still be effective at this point. The dealer looked at the rebel to ask if it was too late but before he could, Meta spoke,

"Her skin is regaining its normal color," she placed two fingers at the female dealer's neck, "and her heartbeat is starting to pick back up. It's working." Graverobber smiled brightly as he watched his girlfriend's condition improve, and he took her hand to tell her that he was beside her. After some agonizing minutes, Bones slowly opened her green eyes.

* * *

><p>I felt my heart pounding against my rib cage as I forced my heavy eyelids back, only to be stabbed by harsh fluorescent lights. Groaning in surprise and annoyance, it was then I felt a hand squeezing my own, but before I could turn my head, I had my breath taken away by the lips of Graverobber. As arousing as it was, I found myself struggling to breathe, and, with what little strength I had, gently pushed Vlad back and gasped.<p>

"Sorry, babe," he blushed a bit. "I guess I got a little carried away. I smiled and cleared my throat several times before I was able to talk.

"Hell, I would've liked you to keep going but I couldn't breathe." He leaned down and planted a light kiss on my forehead then helped me sit up.

"How did I end up down here?" I asked after taking notice of my surroundings.

"My brother got the brilliant idea in his head to put cyanide in your coffee." I heard Amber's voice from behind Vlad. "He was hoping to kill whoever drank it, but it obviously didn't work."

"Cyanide?" I was clearly confused.

"It was meant to put you in a coma then eventually kill you," Matt put in. "Thankfully, there was an antidote for it, but you should really thank Amber for making sure that you got it." I looked between the two men at the former CEO, who was paying particular attention to her shoes. Moving carefully, and with Vlad's assistance, I maneuvered off the cold dissection table and walked to the woman I had absolutely despised for so long.

"Amber?" I said softly, and she slowly looked up at me with, what I thought, was a shimmer of tears in her sapphire eyes.

"I really don't know what to say," I began, "except that I'm honestly surprised that you would do this for us," indicating to Graves and myself, "especially since you and I have hated each other for the last four years." She nodded in agreement.

"At first, I wasn't so sure I should have even bothered saving you, but after trying to make sure that Pavi and I would be spared Luigi's fate, and then to have my brother so something like this," she paused to wipe away a few tears, "I know I had to do something to keep you alive, especially when I saw how much Graverobber cared about you." She looked over at him then back at me. "I must say that I do envy you. You have a gem of a guy, Bones, and I see why you went through all this trouble to get him back." I smiled when she said that then did something that shocked everyone in the immediate vicinity: I held out a hand to Amber. She was also stunned at first then took it up in a friendly handshake.

"I never thought I'd see the day," I heard Vlad say from behind me.

"This whole fiasco has had some astonishing firsts spring out of it," Matt said with a bit of laughter.

"We should get back to the office and make sure my brother hasn't pulled anymore dumb shit." The five of us moved to make our exit, but stopped when we heard something that sounded like a hard slap, followed by,

"You son of a bitch! How could you do that to here?" Apparently, it wasn't the five of us alone down here.

"Should we go check it out?" Meta asked while closing up her parcel.

"Fuck yeah! I wanna see who else is in here." I walked in the direction the angry voice had originated from, with the others trailing close behind me. When I rounded the corner, I stopped dead, causing everyone else to collide with my backside.

"What the fuck did you stop for, oh…" I heard Vlad's voice die in his throat as he saw what I saw.


	29. Family Ties

**A/N: A surprisingly quick update, but I've been on a roll lately, thanks to all the reviews, favorites, and follows. My creative Zydrate muse has been very nice to me and I'm taking advantage of it. One more chapter to go, and maybe an epilogue, depending on how much I end up writing. R&R please!**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Family Ties**

Nadia, Diane, and Angela tried to keep their snickering silent after Marni had slapped Nathan. They had watched her grow more and more enraged as he told her what he'd had to do to get by and, even more ghoulish, what he'd done to keep Shilo close. Now, the legal assassin just sat there, too ashamed to look at his wife as she glared at him like she wanted to kill him. After an uncomfortable silence, Nadia decided to spill the beans,

"Shilo's still around, you know," Marni and Nathan snapped in her direction. "She came back and got Amber to sign GeneCo over to her." Before either parent could react to the news, they all heard:

"What the fuck did you stop for, oh…,"

* * *

><p>I seriously thought I was hallucinating or something because what I saw was clearly impossible. Not only was Nathan Wallace sitting on the dissection table in his Repo Man garb but so was his long-dead wife, Marni, who looked very much alive and very pissed off. And their attention was currently trained on us, along with my three GENtern underlings.<p>

"Ah, now I've seen everything," I heard Matt say from a few feet behind me. Okay, so I wasn't hallucinating but I still couldn't fathom this in the least.

"How the hell are you two still living, especially you?" I pointed to Marni, who just looked at her husband as if asking him to explain it. The slasher-by-trade raked a hand over his hair, took a deep breath, and began,

"Contrary to popular belief and what everyone saw at the Genetic Opera, I didn't die from that gunshot wound. I managed to keep myself alive long enough to find a second cousin of mine, named Sean Kelly, who helped me make the world, and Shilo, believe that I was dead.

"Way to go, Dad," Graverobber sarcastically remarked. Nathan glared at him but didn't return the insult.

"I did it so that she could finally get out on her own after I'd sheltered her so long, and apparently, she's doing quite well, given what we were just told about her taking over GeneCo."

"It was the better choice from my point of view," Amber spoke up. "I personally didn't wanna end up like Luigi."

Nathan shrugged. "No offense, Miss Sweet, but he had it coming."

"None taken."

"Now, where was I? Oh yes. I stayed with Sean until I could fully operate again then spent the next two years learning a technique that maybe a handful of people in the world know about, my second cousin being one of them," he paused, as if considering what to say next. "I obviously can't go into all the details as I was sworn to secrecy, but," he gripped Marni's hand and she squeezed back, "you are all witnesses to the results."

As the knowledge slowly sunk in, I had to ask, "So, is she the only human you've tried this on or are there other supposed-to be-dead corpses walking around?"

"Well, I had to make sure that it would work on Marni, so yes, I have made a few trial runs on human cadavers."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just how many is a few?"

"Oh, about twenty or so." He said it so nonchalantly, like the whole damn think was an experiment.

"What the fuck are you trying to do, Wallace?" Vlad said from right next to me. "Kick-start the zombie apocalypse with your own gang of flesh eaters?" Marni looked at my boyfriend in astonishment.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I am hardly a zombie." She stood up, walked around the table then sat back down. "As you can see, I am in full control of my capacities."

"My apologies, ma'am, but even I think this whole 'resurrecting the dead' thing is a bit strange. And I sell Zydrate for a fucking living!"

"That makes two of us, babe," I seconded. That was when I remembered that Nadia, Angela, and Diane were looking at me funny, and with good reason.

Before I could say anything, however, Diane questioned, "Miss Norton?"

This was going to take a bit of explaining…

* * *

><p>"Just how long does it take for the cyanide antidote to work? They've been gone for almost an hour." Shilo was pacing the floor of the office, getting more agitated by the minute. That, and Pavi just didn't know when to shut up, despite numerous threats from James and Charlie.<p>

"Maybe she-a is already dead," the rapist teased. "I-a hope so. I would-a love to have her face." Shilo stopped her repetition and stared him straight in he eye.

"Even if my friend is dead, you WILL NOT take anything from her! Do you understand me, Largo?" He only shrugged.

"She asked ye a question, mate," Ricky moved to the young woman's side. "I suggest ye answer unless ye be lookin' for an end, and if ya are, ya best be payin' me." The Repo Man and ex-cop stepped up to either side of Pavi as if to emphasize the point, but he didn't even flinch.

"My-a sister didn't mean-a what she said," he sounded extremely confident in that concept. "She wouldn't-a kill her-a only remaining-a family member."

"After the stunt you just pulled, somehow I don't think blood ties mean very much to her right now." Russ said from his spot on the couch.

"We shall-a see, senor," and he fell silent without answering his new boss.

"I've about had it with this asshole," Dean declared, "and I'm starving! I'm gonna go find me some food. Where's the kitchen in this joint?"

Serano walked away from Pavi, as it was clear that he was going to be silent. "I'll show you where it is because I could use some food, plus this place can be a bit of a maze if you don't know it." He stripped off his working gloves, cracked his knuckles, and looked at the others. "Anybody else want anything?"

"Hell, if you're cooking, I'll have a medium-rare cheeseburger with mushrooms and onions, with some fries," Jack said. Before anyone else could chime in, Shilo dug a pen and notepad out of her backpack and handed it to James, where he wrote down the order, and then looked up.

"Anyone else?"

* * *

><p>"You're seriously going crazy, Diane," Angela scoffed. "There's no way <em>she's <em>our boss.

I crossed my arms over my chest in an authoritative fashion. "Oh really, Caspian?" Her jaw dropped as I spoke in the voice I had used when I worked here. "By the way, you're almost a week behind on your payment for those eyes, and somehow, I don't think you want Serano to repo you."

"So, if your name's not Alexandra Norton then what is it?" Nadia asked me.

"Bones," was all I said. I watched as all their faces contorted into looks of shock.

"Not THE Bones, the infamous Zydrate dealer who works with Graverobber?" the purple-haired girl asked in astonishment.

"The one and only, kid,"' I responded, uncrossing my arms. "Didn't know my reputation had become infamous."

"While I hate to interrupt all the discoveries and inquiries," that was Amber, "we should be getting back upstairs. Everyone else is probably wondering where we are."

"I never thought I'd say this but I'm inclined to agree with you," Vlad said, putting an arm around my shoulders. We turned to leave but were once again interrupted.

"Just a moment," Marni spoke up. "If my daughter's now the head of GeneCo, that means she's here, correct?" Amber, Matt, Vlad, and myself nodded. "I'd like to meet her. I believe it's my right as her mother," she looked at her husband. "Isn't that right, Nathan?"

"Yes, dear," he replied, standing up. "I think I should go too."

Vlad and I couldn't help but bust out laughing. "Yeah and shock the shit out of the poor girl?" I jeered.

"You already put her through seventeen years of Hell, Repo Man," my partner brought up. "I highly doubt she'll want to see you."

The legal assassin glared at us and took his wife's hand. "I may have done some horrible things to Shilo, but I'm still her father, and I have to see her."

"Never thought family ties meant anything these days," Meta commented. She was right, in a sense, with almost everyone changing their insides.

"Oh, the hell with it. Follow us." Amber waved for everyone to follow her, but as my three underlings went to go along, I stopped them.

"Not you ladies," I pointed to Luigi's corpse. "That stiff still needs to be prepped for burial."

"As far as I'm concerned, you don't have the authority to order us around anymore." Diane said defiantly.

Before I could retort, Amber stepped in, "Since she was employed while I was still in charge, and since all of you signed a contract, she does still have authority over you. Now, get to work!" The girls didn't need to be told twice. They bolted to get their tools to prep the designated body.

"Thanks," I said to Amber.

"It's no problem," she looked after the GENterns. "GENterns are always spineless when it comes down to it," she then looked back at the group. "Let's get moving."

* * *

><p>"I think my arms are gonna break. Food should not be this heavy." James was trying to carry four dinner orders while Dean was balancing the other three.<p>

"Hey man, you were the one who said you didn't mind cooking, so quit your whining." The rebel took a second to press the button for the elevator then reoriented himself. "Besides, there weren't any employees around to help us."

"Yeah, that was unusual. There's always someone working I the kitchen." The Repo Man moved through the doors when they opened with Dean behind him, and when they got to the CEO's office, the blond knocked lightly with his booted foot.

It was Russ who answered, "Finally!" he exclaimed, letting them in. "I thought I was going to have to smack Charlie with how much grumbling he's been doing." The bald man slugged his friend in the shoulder and took his plate before James could set the tray down.

"I can't help it if infiltrations make me hungry," Charlie retorted with a mouthful of fried chicken. "Plus, we didn't eat before we started this mission." Serano and Dean put their trays on the desks and everyone snatched up their requested dinners, and dug in eagerly.

"I say one t'ing fer ye, Repo Man," Ricky said, taking a bite out of his gyro, "ye sure know how ta cook."

"One of my better skills," Serano replied proudly.

"You-a didn't cook-a anything for-a me?" the Italian accent butted into their conversation.

"Now, he wants to talk," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Largo, but it was your own fault," the night surgeon paused to put a forkful of pasta in his mouth. "Maybe your sister will order something for you." Pavi scowled at the tone he used and was about to fire back when the door opened once more to reveal Amber, Matt, Graverobber, a GENtern, and Bones.

"Bones! You're alive!" Shilo put her plate down and bounded over to hug her friend.

* * *

><p>I squeezed the girl back, smiling at her joy to see me. "Glad to see you too, Kid," she let me go, "but you should really be hugging Amber since she was the one who got me the antidote." I then looked over at Pavi, who seemed shell-shocked that I was alive.<p>

"What's the matter, face-stealer? Cat got your tongue?" Graves taunted.

"I-a, I-a…." He was obviously stunned beyond belief that his little plan had been foiled, mostly because of his sister.

"Sorry, brother," Amber walked over to him. "As much as I may have hated the woman, I couldn't let you destroy the deal I'd made just to kill her." The face-stealing rapist stood as still as a statue, as if he couldn't find the power to move then he did something that none of us ever expected: He grabbed Amber by the throat and started to squeeze. She clawed at his hands, trying to get him to let go, but he was surprisingly strong and determined.

"Pavi," she barely managed to choke out, tears streaming down her face. "Why?"

"Because," he rasped, "you-a betrayed the-a family and now must die," and he squeezed harder, watching in sick satisfaction as her face started to tint blue. Before any of us could jump on him, a shiny object whizzed through the air and struck him in the neck, right at the main artery. The last Largo brother instantly let go of his sister, who clutched her bruised neck while gasping for air, and put a hand to his own neck to dislodge whatever was stuck there. He had barely enough capacity to pull it put, but I could tell that the wound was fatal. With a sad last look at Amber, Pavi fell over onto his face and lay still as his blood quickly leaked onto the carpet. We all stood by and watched the entire death scene, which seemed like it took ten minutes, but in reality, it was only in a space of several heartbeats. When he let out his last breath and final body twitch, I stepped up to the fresh dead man to see what he was holding, and to my surprise, it was a surgical scalpel.

"What is it, Bones?" Vlad asked me as I stood up with the tool.

"It's a scalpel," I instantly looked at Serano, who shook his head in bewilderment.

"Not mine."

"But if you didn't throw it then who did?"

"I did." We all turned as one as Nathan and Marni Wallace strolled through the open door. The legal assassin looked over at Pavi dead on the floor.

"Another one that had it coming," he then glanced at Amber. "He just gave me the perfect excuse to do it."

"Dad?" Shilo, as I expected, was as pale as a ghost as her mind was trying to comprehend what she was seeing. "Mom?" It was too much for her to see both parents alive, and she fainted into Ricky's arms.


	30. Work It Out

**A/N: Well, I was thinking that this was going to be my last chapter, but looks like I'll have to write at least one more before it's done. This one is a bit long but it does cover a lot. Please read and review!  
><strong>

**Chapter Thirty – Work It Out**

We all stood around in silence as Ricky carried an unconscious Shilo to the couch and Serano picked up Pavi's corpse to take it to the morgue for a removal of his GeneCo parts. I felt a twinge of regret that I wouldn't be able to do it myself, but right now; I had a friend to worry about. When James left with the last Largo brother over his shoulder, Nathan closed the door behind him and went to go by his daughter, but the rebels blocked his path. He started to get pissed and moved to take out a knife, but Marni put a restraining hand on his arm, shaking her head. He relented and kissed her on the cheek.

"Is she going to be okay, Ricky?" I asked.

"Aye," the Irishman made sure she was at least comfortable. "She be a'right. Jus' fainted from all da stress."

"After all the shot she's been through, I don't blame her for passing out," Vlad said, glaring at the poor girl's parents.

"I wasn't expecting our reunion to go like this," Marni said sadly.

"What were you hoping for?" Russ asked sarcastically. "That she'd run into your arms, simply overjoyed that you've come back to life? Don't make me laugh." Shilo stirred but didn't wake up, so Russ continued his rant. "As far as I'm concerned, we've been the only real family this girl's had, with the exception of Amber, and you two think you can just waltz right in and take that from her? I don't think so." He was right, of course. When the Kid had been sheltered by her Repo Man father, Vlad and I had been her only friends, showing her bits and pieces of this cruel world. It was only after the Genetic Opera that she'd been taken in by Ricky and his crew. Her mother looked ashamed while her father got angrier.

"Let's just chill out here, people," I said. "Maybe you two should take a seat over there until she wakes up." Reluctantly, the night surgeon and his resurrected wife sat in the chairs by the far wall in front of the desk, silently watching, waiting for Shilo to come around.

"Meta, Amber turned to her personal GENtern, "could you call in a few others to clean up this mess?"

"Yes, ma'am." The platinum blond flipped open her wrist-phone, and within a few minutes, four more women entered and proceeded to mop up the dried blood.

"I take it the party's over?" the plastic woman asked them. One with extremely long white-and-pink hair and clear eyes looked up.

"It is. Everyone has either gone home or back to work," and she went right back to cleaning.

"Party?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently, the employees were celebrating the change in management," the last Largo glance at the sleeping black-haired girl. "Although, now that I look back on everything, I can't say I blame them."

"Hell. I was amazed that you helped me," I put in. "Not that I'm being ungrateful, because I'm not."

"Does this also mean that the bounties on us are revoked?" Vlad asked a bit timidly.

Amber shrugged. "Probably, but that's ultimately up to her." At that moment, Shilo opened her eyes.

* * *

><p>"For crying out loud, how many organs did this guy have replaced?" Angela whined as she carefully lifted out Luigi's large intestines.<p>

"That's the last one," Nadia announced, checking it off her list. "Now, let's sew him back up and start the embalming and make-up."

Diane yawned. "I'm glad we're almost done cuz I need to go home and have a fucking nap." She made an incision at the neck, as well as the inner thigh, and slid the embalming needle into the neck silt then turned the machine on to start pumping the blood out and replacing it with embalming solution. As the process was finishing up and Nadia started on the make-up, the steel doors slid open and in stepped James Serano with Pavi over his shoulder.

"Fuck me," Angela rolled her eyes as the slasher carefully laid the younger brother on the second table. "Who're you gonna bring us next? Amber?"

He shook his head. "Not likely. She's actually playing nice now." He pulled a sheet up over the body. "He's only dead now because he tried to kill his own sister."

"WHAT?!" the three girls exclaimed at once.

"Was he that stupid?"

"Did he think he'd succeed?"

"Who killed him?" they all fired off at once.

"Easy, girls. One at a time, please." James said. They all repeated their questions. "Obviously he was that stupid, and he thought he'd get it done." The last answer would shock them. "Wallace killed him." Jaws dropped. "What? You're looking at me like I would've done it," he looked down at the stiff. "Unfortunately, I didn't get that pleasure."

"I suppose it's just as well," Diane commented while rolling the embalming machine away to be cleaned. "He was just as bad, if not, worse, than his sibling." Her colleagues nodded at her remark then went back to work.

The Repo Man started to leave. "I guess you all can leave as soon as you're done with what you're doing. No one said anything about taking care of Pavi."

"Thanks, James," Nadia called over her shoulder, and he left. As he walked to the elevator and got in, he began to wonder is he should still leave or stay with the company now that Shilo would be running things. He decided to go home and sleep on it, but not before he at least let Amber know what he was doing so she could tell the new CEO.

* * *

><p>"Ye a'right dere, love?" Ricky asked as Shilo slowly sat up.<p>

"I think so," she maneuvered her feet onto the floor. "That's something I wasn't expecting to see."

"None of us were, lass," he gave her a short kiss then whispered. "Der still here if ye wanna see 'em." She nodded, and he stepped aside so she could see her parents on the opposite side of the room. I think everyone collectively held their breath as the family members watched each other, one seeming to be sizing up the other two, almost as if she didn't believe they were real. The silence in the office was so thick it was like a smog cloud had settled in and hung there, but it quickly dispersed when Marni spoke,

"Shilo?" the black-haired girl winced as she heard her supposed-to-be-dead mother speak her name. "My little girl?"

"I'm clearly not little anymore," she almost spat, and stood up. Surprisingly quickly, the Kid moved over to them, and punched Nathan in the jaw so hard that he fell out of his chair. As delicate as the situation was, I couldn't help but laugh, causing Vlad, Amber, and the rebels to do the same.

"That was for the seventeen years of lying and lock-up you put me through!"

Her father held his jaw, amazed at the strength his daughter had developed. "I thought you'd forgiven me that night," he said as he slowly stood back up.

"That was when I though you weren't going to live, you bastard!" She walked halfway across the room then turned back. "How could you do that to me, Dad?" I could hear the tears in her voice, and stopped laughing.

"I did it so you could get out on your own without me shadowing you," he protested.

"Just like how you kept me locked up and drugged because I was supposedly sick?" she gave a short laugh. "Talk about a total 180!"

"Shilo Wallace!" Marni stood up then. "That is NOT how you speak to your father!"

"No offense, Mom, if you're even my mother, but you weren't fucking there to deal with it, so don't tell me how to talk to HIM!" and she stormed out of the office. Ricky went to go after her but Vlad stopped him.

"If anyone should go talk to her, Bones and I'll do it," he looked at me and I nodded. "You guys stay here and keep an eye on them. Something still smells fishy about all this," and we quickly ran after Shilo.

* * *

><p>We caught her as she was getting in the elevator and already; she'd started to cry.<p>

"What are you guys doing here?" she sniffed.

"Had to make sure you'd be alright, Kid," I smiled.

"Yeah. What kind of friends would we be if we weren't there when you needed us?" Vlad chimed in, flashing his trademark smirk. She brightened up a bit then quickly grabbed the elevator doors before they closed so we could get on.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked.

"Don't know," Shilo answered, looking at all the buttons. "I don't know where anything is here, and I'd like to find somewhere where I can blow off some steam."

"I'm sure we can find someone who'll give us directions since that GENtern said that everyone had gone back to work," Vlad suggested.

"I know who we can ask," and I pushed the floor for the morgues.

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" Diane stretched her arms above her head. "I'm so glad we're finally done cuz now I can get out of this 'uniform' and take a nap."<p>

"You ain't kidding, sister," Angela seconded as she finished securing Luigi's shoes. She stepped back for a moment to admire their work. "You know, it's funny how he looks better when he's dead, but that's probably because he was such an asshole in life."

"Let's get out of here before something else happens or Miss Norton shows up," Nadia caught herself just then. "Sorry, but I still can't believe she's really a Zydrate dealer."

"Hell, she must've been really smart to sneak in here undetected, too," Angela paused, "or really stupid."

"Funny how that line tends to blur so often," Diane commented as she moved to the steel doors, but before she could hit the button, someone else hit the one on the other side.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's lucky you three are still here," I grinned as I saw my lackeys as they were about to leave. Their faces fell instantly and I laughed. "Don't worry, girls. I'm not going to ask you to do anything else." I looked at Shilo.<p>

"I was wondering if any of you could direct us to some sort of gym or recreation area." I watched the GENterns breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"We were about to leave anyway, so we'll show you where it is." Nadia hit the lights, and we followed them to the elevator where Angela pushed a button six floors down then one for the ground level.

"How did Luigi come out looking?" I asked as the car descended.

"He actually looked, dare I say, peaceful?" Angela said. "We did a pretty good job on him, Miss, I mean, Bones. My Aries, this is all too strange!" she exclaimed.

"God of war?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "No wonder why you were so hostile." The others laughed as we reached our floor.

"Keep going until you get to two sets of double doors," Nadia explained. "The gym is to the left, and the café is to the right." Before we could thank them, the elevator began its descent once more.

"I guess they're done for the night," Vlad shot as the three of us walked on our way.

"Hell, they deserve it," I said. "They've been trough a lot with this whole ordeal." He shrugged and pushed open the doors to our left to reveal a full-on gym, an in-ground pool, locker rooms, a sauna, and a court for just about every indoor sport there was. Even a bowling alley!

"I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from the world's organ supplier." Shilo admired, and headed to the locker rooms.

"Rotti probably never used it, though," I said, following her.

"Or any of his brats for that matter," Vlad added, falling into step behind me.

* * *

><p>"I hardly see why this is necessary," Nathan grumbled as Jack secured the ropes around his wrists. Marni was already tied to the other chair, tears slowly leaking from her eyes.<p>

"All I wanted was to hold my daughter in my arms," she sobbed.

"It's alright, darling," her husband reassured her. "We'll get through this." He then glared at Ricky, whose idea this had been, but the dark-haired man only smiled.

"Graverobber said to keep an eye on ye and dat's what we be doin',"

"Besides, we've heard how quick you are with a scalpel, so this is for our safety too," Russ added while toying with his gun.

"That's bullshit!" the Repo Man shouted. "None of you believe that we're physically real, so that's why you're REALLY doing this."

Ricky just shrugged and sat at the desk. "Hell, how're we suppose ta know tat ya are real?" he narrowed his eyes. "Fer all we know, ya could be some clonin' experiment gone rogue."

"There is a way we could know for sure," Amber spoke somewhat meekly. Everyone turned their attention toward her, wondering what she was getting at. "As Dad was grooming us to eventually take over for him, he made sure to have our DNA on file just in case anything dire happened. As a fail-safe for repossessions and employees, or maybe just out of paranoia, he also kept DNA profiles for those people as well." Almost everyone looked amazed that she had this knowledge.

"What?" she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I spent every minute screwing around with surgeries and Zydrate." She turned to Meta. "Call in Robert Marks." The GENtern quickly placed the call, and about twenty minutes later, a loud knock resounded on the door. Russ opened it and stepped aside to let in a tall man in a lab coat with a bright red Mohawk and sharp brown eyes.

"This is quite a sight for sore eyes," he said in a gravelly voice. He quickly looked at Amber then to the people tied to the chairs. "Let's make this quick so I can get back to work."

"I expected no less from you, Marks," the former CEO sneered. "We need you to verify some DNA on these two. They're supposedly Nathan and Marni Wallace." The scientist's eyes went wide when he heard the names, and he forced himself to take another look at them, this time, more closely.

"They sure do look like them, but I'll run a DNA analysis just to be sure." He pulled a few syringes and vials out of his pocket and moved towards his subjects.

"Oh no! You're not sticking me with that!" the night surgeon protested.

"Nathan, just shut up for once and let the man do his job!" Marni snapped suddenly, dried tears on her cheeks.

"Tilt your head please, sir," Robert commanded, and stuck the needle into Nathan's neck. He quickly did the same to Marni, capped the vials, and vanished back to his lab to perform the tests.

"I hope this doesn't take long," the resurrected woman sighed as she tried to get a little bit comfortable.

* * *

><p>"Thank Hera, I feel so much better!" Shilo exclaimed while toweling her hair then brushing it.<p>

"I second that," I said as I laced up my boots then threw my shirt back on. "I haven't had a good swim in a long time. I'm just glad there were swimsuits for us."

"Yeah, otherwise, we'd have to dive in naked," Shilo giggled. "Probably not a good idea with Graverobber around."

I shook my head. "Definitely not," I stood up and stretched. "Let's go scoop him up and get back upstairs. I'm anxious to get this over with and go home." Vlad was already waiting outside the men's locker room for us, with new clothes on and the Repo Man uniform slung over his arm.

"Damn, Bones. I was hoping you'd keep the bathing suit on for me," he whined jokingly as he put an arm around my waist.

"I would've, but it's kinds cold in here, plus it had the company logo on it. No thanks."

"Either way, you looked good in it," he kissed the side of my head. "Let's get this over with," and we headed to the elevator to go back to the top floor. When we got to our destination, however, we found Shilo's parents tied to chairs, Ricky lounging at the desk, and everyone else either standing around or sitting.

"What the hell is going on here?" the black-haired girl asked her grinning boyfriend.

"Jus' takin' a few precautions, love," he answered, taking his feet off the desk.

"Precautions, my ass!" her father yelled. "You and your cronies tied us up, you psycho!"

Shilo looked at her father. "Coming from you, that insult doesn't carry much weight." He shut up after that.

"So, what exactly _is_ going on here?" Vlad asked, as he was just as confused as I was. Before anyone could answer him, the office door banged open, and some man with a red Mohawk raced in holding a piece of paper.

"I have the results!" he declared.


	31. Underground

**A/N: Decided to switch my little epilogue song to the end of the chapter. Read and review please!  
><strong>

**Epilogue – Underground**

"Results? What results?" I was incredibly confused at this point.

"Okay, I remember telling you guys to keep an eye on them, but did you really have to go _that_ far?" Vlad asked, pointing to the couple.

Again, Ricky shrugged. "'Twas necessary since he be so handy wit a blade," he tipped his chin in Nathan's direction.

"Anyway, what did you find, Robert?" Amber cut through our inquiries, and directed our attention to the man with the Mohawk, and for the first time, I noticed he was wearing a lab coat.

'Must be some kind of researcher or scientist,' I thought.

"Well, like I said, I have the results, and was able to conclude that," he paused; either to look over his notes or to purposefully draw out the suspense. I opted for the latter, "they most definitely ARE Nathan and Marni Wallace! The DNA is an exact match."

"DNA? What the hell?" Shilo looked around in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that someone ordered a DNA test on them?" She automatically looked at Ricky, who shook his head and pointed at Amber, who only nodded.

"I wanted to make sure they were who they said they were since no one really believed them," she looked down at her shoes. "I didn't mean to step over any lines, but I saw how angry you were and wanted to give you some peace of mind." Peace of mind? From Amber Sweet? This was all too much, and was making my head spin, and I could see I wasn't the only one. The Kid looked just as lost as I was.

"You didn't step over any lines, Amber," Shilo finally spoke. "I just… wasn't expecting anyone to do that for me, but thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, looking up again then over at Robert, who seemed to be wondering what to do next.

"You can go now, Marks," and he retreated back to his lab to finish whatever he was working on.

"Well, now that that's all sorted out, can someone untie us, please?" Marni pleaded, and Nathan nodded vigorously.

"Boys," Ricky said, and Jack and Dean carefully removed the ropes from Shilo's now-confirmed parents.

The Repo Man looked as if he wanted to kill someone, but that urge died as he looked at his wife, who had ran to her daughter the moment she was free. The young woman hugged her mother for the first time, and even tough it had been scientifically proven that she was real; I could tell that GeneCo's new CEO still didn't fully believe it. The legal assassin moved toward the two most important women in his life, and took them both up in a hug.

"Talk about your Hallmark moments," Vlad whispered to me, and I couldn't help but snicker a little bit.

"Still, I'm glad for her," I thought of Mortis in that moment. "Maybe they'll finally have a chance to have a real family life.

"Just as long as we can still hang around," he nudged me in the ribs and I poked him in his.

After the family had disengaged from their hug, Shilo introduced them to everyone, and when she brought up Ricky as her boyfriend and mentor, her father held out a hand to him.

"I just want to say thank you for taking care of her," the Irishman shook his hand. "You did more for her than I ever did. I wish there was some way I could repay you."

"Be a fat'er to her like ye should've been, sir, and tat's how ye can repay me."

"Deal," and they smiled at each other. Finally, they came around to us and the Kid smiled brighter than I'd ever seen since she'd been back.

"Mom, Dad, this is Graverobber and Bones," we bowed from the waist. "They've been my friends for a long time, and I think of them as family." I flushed at the praise and Vlad laughed.

"Thanks, Shilo," he said. "That means a lot to us."

"I should be thanking you guys for everything you've done for me," she became thoughtful just then and walked over to her desk with Ricky standing next to her, "and I think I know how to do it." She glanced at Amber, who had made herself comfortable on the couch next to Meta, and gave her a small nod. The plastic woman returned the gesture, and Shilo turned back to us.

"First of all, the bounties on your heads are revoked, so you will no longer be fugitives," that was a load off our shoulders. "Second, both of you are to move into my house ASAP. With the bounties no longer active, you don't have to hide in that small house anymore."

"But how did you-" I looked at my boyfriend, who grinned knowingly. I shrugged since stranger things had happened these last few weeks.

"And lastly, I want both of you to come work with me at GeneCo so that you'll have no need to peddle Zydrate anymore." I think both of our faces fell when we heard that.

"What'd I say?" Shilo asked.

I smiled as I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Shilo, but while the first two are possible, I don't think we could do the third, even if we wanted to." I smiled at Vlad and he put at arm around my shoulders. "After all, we _are_ the Underground."

**_Goth saga, blood severs. Sometimes I wonder how we ever got here. Squashed grudges, new partners. Sometimes I wonder why we can't all get along? Cuz we all end up in a tiny pine box, a mighty small drop in a mighty dark plot, and the mighty fine print hastens the trip to our epilogue. Epilogue? But the girl has returned and taken the throne while the old queen sits in her shadow. But GeneCo will survive when it undergoes surgery... surgery._**


End file.
